CHUCK DUNLAP: We'll open it up for questions for Jake.
Q. You've got more football to play after this weekend, but on Saturday you'll pass Colt McCoy on the school list for most career starts. What goes into having that kind of durability?
JAKE MAJORS: Yeah, I kind of just give a lot of credit to our training staff, strength staff, nutrition staff. They do a great job of preparing me each week game in and game out when it comes to preparation. Just as importantly as recovery.
I haven't gotten here on my own. I've had a lot of help. I give all my credit, all that stuff to them because they're the ones that help me week in, week out. I have full appreciation for our support staff.
Q. The first matchup against Georgia was a tough game for you as an offensive line. What did you learn from that game? What you are you going to do to make sure it goes differently this week?
JAKE MAJORS: I guess what we learned was we had a lot to improve on, whether that was technique, fundamentals, communication, and of course physicality. We had to learn a lot about ourselves from that game.
When it comes to this week, it's all about preparation. We got to dig into the film, prepare. Starting tomorrow we got to start with our physicality on Tuesday. From there we just got to keep preparing and dig into the details of the game plan.
Q. Did you have to change anything as far as pass protection following the Georgia game?
JAKE MAJORS: No. We stuck true to who we were. We just need to dig into the details of the stuff that we already knew, we may have overlooked. We just kind of went back to the importance of little things, the schemes of Coach Sark's offense. We didn't really change anything. We just had to get back to the basics.
Q. Y'all have run the ball so well the last couple of games. What does that do for your pass protection? How much easier does it make it to protect the passer?
JAKE MAJORS: Yeah, I would just say, like you said, whenever you have an effective run game, that opens you up a lot of the pass game. When you become one-dimensional you can only pass the ball. It's easy to defend you.
Being able to establish the run early, being able to rely on it in the second half has been huge for us because that opens up the pass lanes for Quinn and more explosives down the field.
It starts with all 11. It's not just the O-line that does it. It starts with the running backs, the receivers that make the downfield blocks for those extra yards. It's a full-unit effort.
We've done a great job the past few weeks dialing into our run game and letting it come to life.
Q. What do you think has clicked for Quinn lately?
JAKE MAJORS: I would just say he's been very patient. Obviously he wasn't one of our guys to start the season, but he's kind of worked his way up due to injuries and such.
I think he's just really been kind of like a sponge to this run game. He wants to learn as much as he can to make sure when his number's called, he's doing the right things to set up this offense for the best.
For him, he's been super coachable. He's a hardhat runner. He does a great job of hitting the holes and getting vertical. For him, he's just done a great job of whenever his number is called, he executes. We're really appreciative of him.
Q. Do y'all like the idea of playing a team twice, if you have some making up to do from what happened in October?
JAKE MAJORS: From us, we kind of just take it a week at a time. We try not to focus on what people try and say, make up, revenge. We had to earn this opportunity to play in the SEC Championship. We may not have played our best game against them the first time. We knew if we wanted a shot at the SEC Championship, we had to earn it each week. I think the team did a great job of adopting that mindset and going to work each week to allow us to be in this position.
We're just excited for this opportunity to play another week of football.
Q. Does playing in that kind of setting last Saturday night help you one week out?
JAKE MAJORS: Yeah, I mean, going on the road is never easy. Playing in an environment like Kyle Field, which is known for how loud it is, it definitely prepares you for more games in the future, the games that you want to play in, being where this team is.
Getting experience under our belt, being able to execute at a high level towards the end of the game, that's the good signs that you see of our program, which will allow us to keep growing and getting better each week.
Definitely good to get that under our belt. We're excited for this next week.
Q. Sark has talked about the red zone lockout period of practice. How much do you feel that's an iron-sharpens-iron part of practice?
JAKE MAJORS: Yeah, I think it's a really good drill. Really I guess translated to the real game. Our defense has done an exceptional job in the red zone. We have the privilege of going against them every week during practice.
Iron sharpens iron, like you said. That's exactly how it is. We get the best of them. They get the best of us. It definitely translates to game day.
Q. You and Vernon and Alfred came in together. What has it been like for you to see them put it together?
JAKE MAJORS: Yeah, it's super awesome to see the adversity and the growth that we all had to go through the first couple years here to get in this position. It definitely didn't happen overnight.
It's just a testament to the character what they're willing to do for this football team. They bring their A game every day. I always see those guys smiling. They put a smile on my face. Those are the guys that are part of this program that really are a testament to this culture and who we are as a team.
CHUCK DUNLAP: Jake, thank you.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports