Interim head coach Mike Kafka

KAFKA: Just to start, we're opening up (offensive lineman Joshua) Ezeudu and (wide receiver) Beaux Collins. So they'll be out here today, it'll be good to see those guys. And the guys who won't practice today will be (defensive lineman) D.J. Davidson, (outside linebacker) Vic (Dimukeje), (punter) Jamie Gillan, (cornerback) Nic Jones, (defensive lineman Rakeem Nuñez-Roches Sr.) Nacho, (wide receiver) Gunner (Olszewski), (guard Greg) Van Roten, and (outside linebacker) Kayvon (Thibodeaux). Everyone else will get some work today.

Q: Anything close with Kayvon at all?

KAFKA: He's working. He's working. He looks good. I saw him in the hallway today. But he's working. Just not ready yet.

Q: Who did you say that you opened the window for besides Beaux?

KAKFA: Ezeudu.

Q: What happened with Jamie?

KAFKA: He's just got a little bit of a knee, like some knee inflammation. So, just working through it.

Q: What were the biggest things you focused on during the bye week?

KAFKA: Ourselves. Just the self-scout. Mostly offense, defense, special teams. You know, talking with the coaches. Where we can improve. How we can improve. And then mapping out that plan for the remainder of the season. And specifically, this week. What are those things that we can really get better at and nail based on our personnel, based on how we've been operating these last few weeks. So, it really gave us a good opportunity between myself, (special teams coordinator Michael Ghobrial) Ghobi, (defensive coordinator) Charlie (Bullen), (offensive coordinator Tim Kelly) TK, to kind of sit down, talk through it all, and just kind of see where we're at. And then now we have a good plan. Yesterday and today have been a really good day in terms of getting our game planning down and working through, like, just those minor tweaks that we want to make.

Q: Obviously the head coach has a training camp and everything to get his team ready. But the way you got the job, you had none of that. So, was this week, I mean, do you feel it can really help you to kind of, you know, you didn't have any time, right? There was no time to do any of this stuff.

KAFKA: Yeah, we used it and maximized as much time as we could with the coaches. They've done a great job of communicating with the players, done a great job of detailing out the things that we got to get better at, and then not just saying it, but, like, now here's a plan of how we can do it and mapping that out for practice periods, having a great emphasis on certain drills, having great intent on the different periods that we want to get to. So just really good collaboration, good communication from everybody.

Q: You obviously were involved with the offense, so I don't know if you needed as deep a dive on the offense as maybe you did on the defense. Were you able to spend more time away looking at the defense and seeing more than just knowing what you saw in practice and knowing what you got from the coaches?

KAKFA: Yeah, I was able to get through all three phases and really communicate with the respective coordinators and talk through things I saw, things they saw. I mean, they're a little bit more in the weeds on their certain respective areas, but I was able to go there, ask questions, and get some good feedback and just open up those lines of communication.

Q: Do you expect (linebacker) Abdul (Carter) to just be put back in there? Like the last time we saw you, he didn't play the first quarter. How do you reintegrate him at this point?

KAKFA: I mean, Abdul's doing a great job just learning from those experiences. And, you saw him yesterday. You guys probably didn't see him, but he's in the building at 7:30 a.m. watching extra tape. Yeah, I think he's just trying to turn that corner and continue to grow and develop as a young player and do a good job.

Q: What do you hope with (quarterback) Jaxson (Dart)? You know, this is a stretch run for a rookie. It's a long season. You know, his college season would have been over other than a bowl game. So how did you sense him coming back into the building? Did he seem refreshed? I mean, there's a lot going on for him that first time around.

KAKFA: Yeah, he seemed refreshed, energized. He looked good, excited and ready to go. I had a couple conversations with him over the bye, and I think everyone's excited. They had some good time to get off their feet, kind of refresh their mind, reload their mind and their bodies. And now we have a good, clean plan on how we want to attack this week. And I think the guys are ready to go. We'll see today. We've got a good day of practice, and we'll get after it.

Q: What is the challenge for a rookie quarterback like him, do you think, to finish strong with everything that he's done?

KAFKA: That's the challenge for our entire team. It's not just one person. It's the whole team. We all have got to dial into our respective jobs, the details of how we're going to operate, the details and fundamentals of how we're going to play and coach. And so, it's really the whole team. All of us are in this thing together. So just putting together a good plan for us so that we can go out there and have fun with it.

Q: What prompted (Bryan) Cox's firing? I know you said yesterday you're doing what's best for the team. But it seemed kind of random. It's an assistant coach, just trying to get some clarity.

KAFKA: I touched on it a little bit. I'm just not going to get into the details of it, of everything. I have got a lot of respect for B. Cox, but just not going to get into the details of the why behind it. Just out of respect. So we'll just keep all that in-house.

Q: What happened with the seating arrangement on the flight? Was that something he was upset about?

KAFKA: Yeah, I mean, you'd have to ask him. Again, I'm not going to get into the weeds and the details of everything there. It's just it is what it is. Those are tough decisions. So that's really all I have got to say on that.

Q: It just seems odd something like that could lead to a firing. So, I'm just asking for any insight.

KAFKA: Yeah, and again, I wish I could give you more. I'm just going to keep those details in-house between me and him and the conversations we had.

Q: How much of a pushback has there been? Obviously, you selected Charlie (Bullen) as the guy there. How much pushback has there been on making him the defensive coordinator within the staff? I heard that there's been some pushback.

KAFKA: I haven't felt it. The guys have done a great job communicating, collaborating together. (I am) sitting in on their meetings, watching them in the walk-through. They're doing a great job, and I'm really proud of them.

Q: Is the knee issue with Jamie Gillan going to be serious this weekend or monitor it day-to-day?

KAFKA: We're monitoring it. You just want to be smart. I mean, it's early in the week. You don't want to flare up anything. But Jamie's a tough kid. I'm sure he'll work through it.

Q: With (running back Tyrone) Tracy (Jr.) practicing, I mean, he's all set from what happened to him?

KAFKA: Yeah, he's good. He's good to go.

Q: What have you seen from (kicker) Younghoe (Koo) just in terms of coming off that aborted kick?

KAFKA: Yeah, that was certainly interesting. And, obviously, it's things that you don't really see a whole lot. But, listen, he came right back. He owned it. He came right back to it. I think he's ready to go and attack this week in practice. If something like that happens, you obviously don't want that to be something that happens consistently. So, he's working his tail off to get that fixed and cleaned up. Really, everybody is. It's not just one guy. The whole operation could have been cleaner, too. But they all owned it. They all took responsibility. And players, coaches, everybody. So, I'm excited to watch those guys practice today.

Q: He'll kick for you this week?

KAFKA: Yeah/

Q: What day did you make the decision on Bryan Cox?

KAFKA: Thursday.

Quarterback Jaxson Dart

Q: Good to be back and practicing? How'd your bye week go? What did you focus on?

DART: Yeah, great to be back. Really good energy today. It felt refreshing. Had some time off and everybody was just excited to get back to work. Just took a lot of time to self-scout and just going to improve on things we need to improve on in these next four weeks.

Q: What are you looking to try to accomplish these last four weeks?

DART: Win.

Q: That simple for you?

DART: Yeah, win four games. Take it one at a time.

Q: When you say self-scout, everyone always says self-scout. What does that mean for you? Do you go back through everything and look and analyze and all that? What does it mean?

DART: You just have conversations with the coaching staff. We're able to have that extra time to watch all the games back, all the reps back, and just try to find those things where maybe you're making a few similar mistakes. Maybe there are pass concepts that you need to improve at. So, during that time, you just work on those things and just making sure your mechanics are in the right spot, so you get a little extra time to not really worry about game planning and take the time on the field to walk through your mechanics based on different actions or whatever it may be. It definitely, I felt like it was beneficial.

Q: Every snap, do you look at it?

DART: Yeah, you go back and watch every snap.

Q: Did you watch any of the games on Sunday?

DART: Yeah, I did.

Q: Are you watching them for entertainment or are you trying to pick little things out of it that could potentially help you down the road?

DART: I mean, I loved to watch that Cincinnati and Bills game. There are a lot of quarterbacks around the league who do a lot of really good things and who have been balling this year. It feels good to watch those guys, kind of see the things that they're exceptional at, elite at, and try to correlate some of their traits in your own game.

Q: When you're watching and talking about all the improvements you kind of want to make for yourself, what did you watch back and what were you happy with?

DART: I felt like my decision making has been pretty good, not putting the ball in harms away. Situationally, I felt like I didn't really try to force things too much. I kind of just tried to let the game come to me and so I was happy with that. I was happy with our offense. I don't feel like we take a ton of negative plays, so those were good things. I felt like, obviously the Patriots game was a tough one, but I feel like as an offense, we've been able to be pretty explosive and do some good stuff. So, those were definitely things that I was happy about when I looked back on it.

Q: He's not playing this week, but what's your relationship like with (Commanders quarterback) Jayden (Daniels)? I know you've mentioned him a couple of times. I think you said you've trained with him in the past.

DART: Me and Jayden have the same quarterback coach. Really just since high school we've been training together.

Q: So, what's your relationship like? Are you friends, competitors? How would you describe it?

DART: Both. I mean, on the football field we're always competing. But we have a really good relationship off the field. He has a great family, so it's been fun to kind of have our journeys cross paths along the way of us playing in the Pac-12 together back then and then carrying over to the SEC. Then obviously, just in the offseason spending a lot of time training and just kicking it off the field as well. He's a great dude, a great player and it's going to be fun to compete against him again.

Q: How much are you looking forward to competing against him next year?

DART: Yeah, I mean, we're going to be playing against each other a lot these next couple years. So, it's just fun to have that competition.

Q: I would think that game you played against him in 2023 has got to be a highlight I would think for you, right?

DART: Yeah, definitely. That was a really fun game for us, Ole Miss. That's one that me and (wide receiver) Malik (Nabers) talked about a lot too. They got us in 2022, so we've been able to go back and forth and have some fun games.

Q: We never asked you, but what did you think of the whole, I mean, it was big news, the whole Lane Kiffin leaving Ole Miss and not being able to coach the bowl game? What did you think of that whole thing?

DART: Yeah, crazy. I think with Kiff, he kind of does some things that are unexpected. But I'm looking forward to his next opportunity and me and him just have such a great relationship. So, I know for him that he's going to put his best foot down and do some really great things for that program. I'm definitely excited for him. I'm also really happy for Ole Miss, keeping Coach (Pete) Golding at the helm there. I was also just happy that they were able to keep their offensive staff, being able to come back and coach the rest of the playoff. I felt like that would be kind of, I don't know, just like a disrespect a little bit to not allow those guys finish it out. Really happy to see, or excited to see their run for a national championship this year.

Q: It's been a while since you've had a division game. The last one was the Eagles, I believe. How are you feeling going against another divisional opponent, knowing that, obviously, tensions are going to be a little bit more heightened?

DART: Yeah, these games are huge, so really excited to get back to it. Obviously, you watch the first game and see how each team has adjusted, us and them, up until this point. So, it's going to be a game of chess, for sure, and it's going to be really good energy.

Q: Can you even go back to that first game, knowing how both teams are so different now? Can you even look at that game and take much from it?

DART: There are maybe a few things you definitely want to watch, like where did they get us in spots? Because those are things that, more than likely, they're going to try to come back to. So, you've got to be able to make sure you're prepared and correct those things. And then you've got to definitely watch probably a lot more of their most recent games, so that's kind of the balance between them.

Q: You've spoken a lot about your leadership, really from the first time you stepped in the locker room, let alone starting. I'm just curious, you come back from the bye, do you take more of a role to look around the locker room, see what guys are into it, maybe what guys might need a little talking to, that kind of role for you now?

DART: Yeah, absolutely, I think it's extremely important and it's really required for us to make sure that these last four games we really put our best foot down. You preach around that your resume is your tape, and so making sure that everybody has the right mindset, the right attention to detail to everything when it comes to their process. I just think it's extremely important to take these weeks one by one, but to be very detailed and disciplined in our approach.

Q: Do you get that same sense from some of your older teammates, pretty much all older teammates to you, who've been through this before and it's kind of - it's all fresh and new to you, even with the losing - but some of these guys that are down and they may not be here next year, do you have to convince them? Look, you mentioned this before, the most important thing in the next four games is to win. Do you sense that they feel that priority that you do?

DART: Yeah, I do. You definitely just have that message, like you said, to echo across the locker room and in the meetings and everything, just making sure that we are approaching it the right way. It's definitely new to a lot of us, kind of just the season that we've kind of had up to this point. So, they've also been able to help the young guys I feel as well, because it's definitely not fun and you just try to not be discouraged. Obviously, you've got to just keep competing and riding it out and making sure that you don't lose sight of the opportunities that you have each week. I feel like we just have good leadership throughout and we have really good guys in the locker room who support each other and really just try to put their best foot down to win.

Q: How cool is the opportunity, I know you kind of wish you probably had it with your team, Corner Canyon, and your brother getting to play on ESPN in a national championship-type game?

DART: Yeah, I'm super jealous. I kind of see it that my senior year, that was the best team that the state of Utah's had. So, I just think it's an incredible opportunity for them on a really big stage playing against an elite opponent and it's definitely going to be a game that I hope all you guys are tuned into as well. Because I think everybody can look back to their high school experience and when you have an opportunity to play for a national championship, I mean, that's just such a cool opportunity for your city and just that close-knit community. So, I can't wait to watch them and hope for the best.

Q: How much are you able to talk and kind of break it down with your brother a little bit before? I know you're focused on your own game.

DART: Yeah, it was cool being able to have a little bit more time to watch his tape too. He's kind of bouncing back and forth between football and basketball right now. But being able to watch a little bit of high school tape and talk through some things and some keys for him, I know that he's ecstatic for this game and I'm just looking forward to supporting him.

Q: (Running back Cam) Skattebo posted a video of himself today walking into the facility without any additional aids or gear. Did you get a chance to see him? How good was it to see him without crutches or a boot or a scooter?

DART: It was definitely just a bright spot. I know that he's obviously thrilled to kind of have that relief and I know that his recovery is coming along really well. So, it was good to just see him come into the facility today with a smile on his face. He's just a really good guy to have in the locker room and I know that it's been really hard for him these last weeks that he's just had time to recover and whatnot because his love is football. So, I'm just happy that he's able to get back into the facility more, be around the guys, and to see him with a smile.