Harsin monday presser updated with video

[aubiefifty 17,353]

What Bryan Harsin said about Bo Nix's injury, Auburn's QB situation

By Tom Green | tgreen@al.com

20-25 minutes

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The final stretch of Auburn’s first season under Bryan Harsin took a difficult turn following the team’s loss to Mississippi State.

Not only was the 43-34 setback against the Bulldogs the biggest collapse in program history, with the Tigers letting go of a 25-point first-half lead, but Auburn also lost its starting quarterback and starting kicker in the process. Auburn coach Bryan Harsin confirmed Monday that Bo Nix (ankle) and Anders Carlson (ACL) are out for the remainder of the season after sustaining injuries in the second half of Saturday’s game. Nix underwent successful surgery Monday, while Carlson will undergo surgery this week.

 

Harsin discussed the impact of those injuries, as well as what they mean for Auburn entering the final two games of the regular season, during his Monday press conference. Here’s a complete look at everything Harsin said about Nix, Carlson and the fallout of last weekend’s loss:

BRYAN HARSIN

Opening statement…

“We had a couple of players in the last game that were injured, Bo Nix being one of them, who had a successful surgery today on his ankle. So that’s positive. He’s out.

“Anders Carlson had an ACL in this last game as well, so he’ll have surgery here shortly. And a couple of our starting players that were injured in the game and now we’re just moving forward, getting those guys healed up.

“We’ll have some guys who will have to step up and get their opportunities as we go into this week against South Carolina.

“Both of those guys are in good spirits, and it’s unfortunate what happened to them. Those guys have handled it well. Guys on the team know what we need to do to have guys step up and be able to fill those roles and get ourselves ready to play in this next game.

“As far as the last game goes, just a little recap on that. I thought we were ready to play in the first half. We came out and started fast, did some really good things. And then at halftime, really from that point on, I thought in the second half when Mississippi State went down and scored, they created some momentum. We needed to get that momentum back in the second half.

“The execution just overall, finishing, making plays like we did in the first half didn’t show up in the second half. There’s some penalties, blown plays, missed opportunities. But at the end of the day we needed to finish the game. That was what we had talked about going into it and competing for four quarters and playing our best footbal for 60 minutes. All the things you talk about each and every week, making sure that was a mission of every player that stepped on the field.

“And that did not happen in the game. So we’re going to learn from that. We’ve already watched it and put it away. We take that and use that information against South Carolina and get ourselves ready to play this week.”

On what it says about Nix that he played through the injury for three-plus drives…

“Well, the first thing you talk about at the quarterback position is toughness and there’s no question with that with Bo. And I’ve said that before. He was injured on a long throw that he had made. Continued that drive, came out, got looked at, was able to go back in the game and play, and was available to do that.

“He’s a tough individual, No. 1. He wants to win, he wants to succeed, he wants to be a part of that. It says a lot about his desire to be out there with his teammates and to provide whatever he can from that position to try to help us win. I love that. I love the attitude. Unfortunately, he was injured and he’ll be out the rest of the season. But he’s got a great attitude.”

On who will take over at kicker, and what he has seen from T.J. Finley since Saturday…

“Yeah, we’re going to work through that with our specialists, so not right now. I’m not ready to make that decision yet on exactly what direction we’re going to go.

“As far as T.J., he’s like every other backup quarterback that I’ve been around. He prepares like a starter, he goes out there and practices like a starter and then you never know when your opportunity is going to happen and so he just happened to be ready for that. Unfortunately an injury, it’s going to be a chance to get in the game and try to go make a difference. You never know what that is so you’re always preparing. So he’s done all those things so now it’s his opportunity to go out there and play the entire game and have a chance to prepare and practice with the reps this week like the starter, or as the starter, I should say, and get himself ready to go through a great week of preparation going into this game. So as far as his mindset and all that, he’s been very good. Now he’s going to go out there and do it in practice then it needs to show up in the game.”

On if freshman Dematrius Davis could factor into QB spot, with his redshirt still intact…

“No, not right now. We haven’t had those conversations.”

On if Nix got reinjured in the fourth quarter after initial third-quarter hit…

“I don’t really know that. He played obviously after he went back in. I don’t recall if there was another hit or something else in there but after the game when they went back and evaluated it, that’s what they found. I think it was on that play, I don’t think there was something else that happened in there. But moving around and running around and doing all those things, even taking a drop and stuff like that, I don’t know how much more that aggravated what had happened to him.

“The injury came on that play in the third quarter where he got hit. Bo, as he went back in there, he looked, he stood in the pocket, he threw the ball well. He gave us opportunities to make plays, there’s no doubt about it, and we didn’t make those plays in those moments for us to continue drives and have a chance to go down there and do the things like we did in the first half.”

On what goes into decision to let Nix play after initial injury…

“Listen to the medical staff. That’s it. That’s why they’re there.”

On medical staff clearing Nix after initial injury…

“Yeah, that’s what the medical staff assesses our players, and then those guys make decisions whether guys are able to go back in or not during a game. And then there’s assessments after the game.”

On decision to bring Finley in for final drive…

“Yeah, I didn’t think that he could go anymore at that point, and then, you know, with TJ, trying to get a little bit of a spark -- but really, it came back to Bo, just could he go or not. He was limping around pretty good at that point in the game. So, we got TJ ready -- he had been ready, too [inaudible for several seconds] at that point in the game, it’s just, didn’t feel like where it looked like Bo could really go. So, TJ was obviously going to be ready to go and get him in the game. At that point too, you know, could we get a spark? Can we get the ball down the field and make something happen? Because we needed to: you know, we were now in that situation where we’ve got to score and get the ball back and try to score again quickly -- get a field goal at that point. So, really, it came down to that.”

On discussions with Nix since Saturday, and his role moving forward…

“Well, those conversations are between Bo and I, but he’s in good spirits. You know, I’m there to support him like his teammates and the other coaches on this staff are doing. You know, when guys get injured, that’s what you do: you support them. The next step is, you know, go have your surgery and get yourself healthy. You know, there is a human element to this, and so that part of it, that’s the focus. And then after the surgery, you know, we’ll regroup and we’ll focus on what comes next and what he has to do and those types of things. But, that wasn’t the initial conversation right after he was injured; like, what we have to do moving forward. It was just, ‘Hey, take care of yourself, make sure you’re good, family’s there. Let’s get through the surgery and then we’ll get on the other side of it, and we’ll figure out what the plan is moving forward.”

On second-half defense vs. Mississippi State…

“Yeah, I got you on State. Yeah, as far as the things that we had done early, yeah, we felt like those things would work, and they showed up on tape. You know, if you go back and study the game, those things that we had called in the first half were there in the second half. We didn’t execute and make the plays in some of those situations. Defensively with the pass rush, I thought we had the best players on the field at that time to get after the quarterback. Their o-line did a good job, and there were some things that we did to mix up some of the ways to get pressure on the quarterback.

“You know, to not take anything away from the QB — he played really well in the second half, too. He threw the ball well. Their receivers, you talk about momentum, they made plays. What you have to do in a game is understand that when momentum shifts, you’ve got to find a way to get it back. You need to make the play. You need to get yourself in a position to get them off the field.

“And on offense, you’ve got to continue scoring. That’s kind of the tale of two halves in this game. Come out playing hard, playing fast, making plays — in the second half, that has to continue. That’s what we have to understand as a team. You can’t coast your way through the rest of the game once you come out there and have a great first half. Put points on the board and expect somebody else to make plays as they gain momentum and put themselves back in a position to get themselves back in the game. They had however many drives for unanswered points. You’ve got to score. You’ve got to score points, and you’ve got to be able to keep scoring. You’ve got to be able to do that. That’s the responsibility of the offense. You’ve got to stop teams from scoring and get them off the field. That’s the responsibility of the defense. And in special teams, you’ve got to try to create field position and opportunities to change the game.

“We had some penalties in special teams that took that momentum out of what we were doing. So there were a few of those in the game that allowed Mississippi State to stay on the field, which we’ll get the review on that. I’m sure we’ll know what the answer is once we look at it. But that doesn’t help you in the middle of the game. There are some factors in there that you have to overcome, and that is something as a team that we’ve got to do a better job with. I’ve got to do a better job with helping our team and helping everybody understand those things in a game going to happen. How we’re going to respond and how we overcome those is part of our development as a team right now. We didn’t do a good job of that.

“So as far as our discipline and focus and our ability to finish — we took a step back. That’s two games now where we haven’t had the performance as a team that we want. That falls back on me. That falls back on how this team operates leading into the game, how we’re going to perform. Before we ever step on the field, understand the factors it takes to actually go out there and win games in this league. And, then ultimately, consistently, when you go out there and play.

“We work hard. The effort and the stuff like that is there. But those other factors that really make teams, in my opinion, great, we’re not showing that. We’ve got to continue to keep working on that. Guys have to focus on it. Staff has to focus on it. I’ve got to do a better job of making sure the things we emphasize are getting through to everybody and it shows up on game day and we actually do those things through the course of the game.”

On what he saw on the play Nix injured his ankle…

“What you said there, just one of their guys fall into him. It’s one of those, as the quarterback throws it, you’re throwing the ball down the field, you’re in the pocket a little bit longer, somebody falls into the QB. And a lot of times you just get knocked over, you get knocked back, whatever it is, as you stand in the pocket and deliver it, things like that will happen. Somebody maybe gets pushed into you. In this case, he got pushed into his leg and just fell on his ankle there. Those things happen, too. It’s not always when you come out, you fall down and you get up. It’s kind of one of those routine plays where you get hit, you get back up and go on to the next play, and there’s not an injury there. But you never know.

“That’s one of the things about the game: You just never know. Guys get injured, and sometimes it looks like something he’s done a thousand times, and just as a result of that play, it was an injury. So, that’s really what it came down to. I don’t think there was anything, you know, much out of the ordinary when it came to that play right there. It just happened to be kind of wrong spot, wrong time and probably positioning as a player. That’s kind of what happens when you get those types of injuries. When your feet are planted in the game, you always try to run your feet, you’re always trying to move your feet, because guys get wiped out and that helps you, keeps you from hopefully having like a lower-leg injury throughout a game and even through practice. Sometimes when you’re planted, you get hit just right and things happen. I think that’s what happened after watching it.”

On if the biggest focus this week is tailoring offense to Finley and figuring out what he’s comfortable with…

“We kind of know what he likes. That’s been part of every single week. You want to know what those guys are thinking, and that’s part of their preparation, that’s part of the process where you get quarterbacks’ and players’ opinions on things. Most of the time, it ties into what the coaches are thinking too. There’s a lot of similarities there, but as far as T.J., we’ve already been doing it. You kind of know what he likes and, again, we’re going to have to still run our offense and do things we feel are going to be successful. He’s going to have to be able to execute those (things), and he’s going to have done everything that we have in our gameplan. It’s just a matter of Bo’s had more reps at it in practice, and obviously more reps in games. T.J.’s seen it, he’s done it. He’s going to get all the reps, all those starting reps this week and have himself prepared from that standpoint.

“Yeah, certainly his opinion and some of the things he sees as he studies the film, because each player’s a little bit different in what they do like, so it might be a little more of this, a little less of that. But at the end of the day, we’re still going to operate our system and execute it and make sure that everybody else that’s been in and playing, those guys raise their level of play as well. So, that’s the thing when somebody gets injured, I don’t just think that player has to come in there and be the guy that brings everything. It’s the guys that have been playing, the Nick Brahms, Tank Bigsby, Kobe Hudson. Those guys have been playing. Those are the guys that have to raise their level of execution when you have a new player come in that hasn’t had as many reps and the same experience as some of those guys that are going to play for us in the game. I’m counting on those guys to raise their level this week and their execution and make sure they’re doing their job so T.J. can go in there and operate and do what he’s asked to do and play quarterback the way we know he can and go out there and get himself ready and prepared and come game day go out there and cut it loose and take advantage of your opportunity to play.”

On if Grant Loy is the backup quarterback now…

“Yeah, he’s been in that position there. Grant has been there, and Dee has gotten some reps in there. Trey Lindsey has been doing a good job. We’ll work through that this week on what that’s going to look like and let those guys get some reps in there. The majority of the reps will go to T.J. because you want to get as many as you can. We’ll have our backup plan as well for those guys. They’ve got to be able to execute it and they’re going to have less than anybody between Bo and T.J. They’re going to have very few, so they’ve got to stay into it mentally. They’ve got to be prepared and do some things extra on their own from a physical standpoint so they’re ready to play. They’ve got to now take on that role of being the backup and understanding what it is we’re trying to accomplish.

“Grant understands that, and he knows. Trey has really done a good job, in my opinion, of preparing himself. Our Sunday practices are where our guys that don’t play as much get a chance to go out there and compete a little bit. I think he’s done a good job of that. Just as far as physically preparing themselves, they’ve all got some scout team reps and gotten a few reps here or there. They have thrown the football and done those things. They’ve just got a little bit more this week and be more in-tune to what the actual game plan is if they’ve got to get in there and execute it.”

On how Nix’s injury impacts the run game…

“With Bo in there the run game is different. I think more so when Bo would take off and run with the scramble and just his ability to escape and do some of those things. Bo is obviously very athletic. T.J. showed his wheels in a few games as well. He can pull it and he makes good decisions. A lot to me as far as being a good runner if you ever have that option when you’re reading, is being a good decision maker as well. You’re trying to take advantage of the defense if you’re running those types of plays. We’ll have those things in the game plan and T.J. can execute it. It changes a little bit on some of the other quarterback run game stuff that we’ve done, but there will be opportunities for that still in this game plan.

“As far as are we taking that next step in the run game, we’ve improved throughout the season in areas. I wouldn’t say that we’ve taken the next step yet because we need to be more consistent. You’ve got to run the ball and be able to get yourself in more manageable down and distances. We didn’t do it in the second half in the last game. When you run two times and it’s still a 3rd-and-9, that’s not very effective in that situation there. So we still have, in my opinion, a ways to go in improving to where the level we want to be at consistently in the run game. We’ve shown flashes. We’ve done some good things and that’s expected. But where we need to go is we can run the ball the way we want to in those critical moments and get the yards that we need to sustain drives and keep ourselves on the field.”

On special teams and kicker Ben Patton…

“As far as teams go, we’ve had penalties. I think they’re questionable but for some reason we’ve got to be perfect on special teams on any type of return that we have. I think our guys give really good effort. I think guys are playing hard. But we feel like you’ve got to be perfect in those areas if you’re going to try to be aggressive in returning. From a field position standpoint, that hurts you when you have those penalties. I thought we did some really good things and earned a lot of yards in this game that came back and negated a lot of those returns. “As far as Ben and all those specialists. We’re going to work through that this week. Right-footed, left-footed, we’ve got guys that are both. So we’ll work through our kicking game and who’s going to kickoff and who’s going to kick field goals and who’s going to do all those things with Anders being out. But we’ve got to get through this week of practice before we get too far into who’s doing what and where we’re going to go as far as our specialists go with Anders being out. “But Ben’s done a good job. I like Ben. Ben works hard. He’s prepared. I know he’s going to get his opportunity. If that’s the case, then he’s going to be ready to go. He’s going to go out there and practice well and put himself in position to mentally go in the game and be ready to kick. So we’ll see what that looks like this week of practice and go from there.”

On the blocked field goal against Mississippi State…

“Yes, yea. We got beat inside. Between the center and the guard there, we didn’t position ourselves like we normally do. Poor technique. When you have poor technique and the player across from you is going hard, that’s going to result in a block. The kick was a little bit low in that situation as well, but we gave up penetration that you can’t give up on special teams. That’s a problem and it comes back to us, technique, and doing things consistently. But that was the result. It was a longer kick but those types of issues shouldn’t come up in protection. It’s just something that we didn’t do a very good job of that they took advantage of.”

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

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Edited November 16, 2021 by aubiefifty

[aubiefifty 17,353]

 

[TigerPAC 991]

Hope T.J. is ready to shine and bring home a W.  Sounds like DD may as well be on the track or baseball team

[Hank2020 3,228]

Anybody see anything on Shenker injury? 

[wildlife alumni 310]

15 minutes ago, TigerPAC said:

Hope T.J. is ready to shine and bring home a W.  Sounds like DD may as well be on the track or baseball team

The way things are going, if he had said anything positive about DD we would have an immediate QB controversy. I like his potential but T.J. should be clear cut guy at this point. I do hope there is garbage time for DD Saturday. That means things went well.

[lutzcammed 469]

15 hours ago, TigerPAC said:

Hope T.J. is ready to shine and bring home a W.  Sounds like DD may as well be on the track or baseball team

lol he on the track leading to another school.  and I had hopes for him.