Mark Stoops’ Monday Transcript

Oct 4, 2014; Auburn, AL, USA; Auburn Tigers receiver Sammie Coates (18) celebrates with fans after defeating the LSU Tigers at Jordan Hare Stadium. Auburn beat LSU 41-7. Mandatory Credit: John Reed-USA TODAY Sports

Q.  (Question regarding upsets in the SEC and his thoughts.)

COACH STOOPS:  I just think it’s the great parity that we’re starting to get in this league.  It’s a tough conference and there’s not a heck of a lot of teams going backwards.  Everybody is trying to move forward like we are.

We are trying to do everything we can to improve our program, and I think you see that from a lot of the teams in this league.

Q.  (Question regarding ULM having a successful program and what concerns him about how they play.)

COACH STOOPS:  They are not intimidated coming into an environment like this.  They are so used to playing big teams.  In the past four or five years they have played SEC teams well, beaten SEC teams, come within one possession of beating great SEC teams.

Coach Berry does a great job, fundamentally sound, creating problems, they’re an odd front defensively.  They do more of a three‑three stack concept.  You will see offensively they just do a nice job of spreading the field on you.  So when teams are spreading the field on you like that, you can’t give up gashes in the running game because your guys are so removed.  So your support from the second level is coming from a long ways away.

So we have to play good up front and be sound in what we’re doing.  And, again, with all that space, you can’t let them get free in the secondary.

They’re good at what they do so we’ve got to, again, have a great week of preparation and worry about fundamentally getting better in certain areas.
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