Marcel Reed ready to rest and refresh before getting back to work

Key notes from Marcel Reed interview

• I’ll watch football this weekend. I love waking up and having College GameDay up and just watching the slate. It’s like pre-film before watching film, even though Missouri’s also on a bye this week. I’ll definitely find some time to relax as well.
   
• This is the perfect time for the bye week after five weeks of SEC ball. Being able to rest up and get your mind refreshed before getting back into it is perfect.
   
• Going into the half at LSU, everybody was calm. Nobody felt like we were behind or in trouble. We all thought that we were the better team. My receivers were talking about how those guys couldn’t handle us. Everyone was in a positive mindset and feeling like it was still in control. We knew we had to do everything in our ability to eliminate mistakes and play our brand of football, and ultimately, that’s what we did when we came out of halftime.
   
• Everybody understands that the game isn’t over until it’s over. The most frustrated I’ve seen the sideline is when we let up after being up, and you didn’t see that last week. We want to punish the other team. Our frustrations as a team are when we haven’t been able to put a team out of the game when we’re in a position to do so. We understand that there are things that need to be tweaked and fixed, but it’s a level-headed mindset. We have confidence in the next play called and that we’re going to execute it and do everything we can to make the game play out right.
   
• Our competitive nature. Over the offseason, you could tell that the defense and the offense both knew we had good players on each side of the ball. Going to practice, there was competition every day, and there was trash talk. We were all getting better. We all want to see each other get to the highest levels. Knowing how to get the best out of each other has pushed us a really long way this season, and we’re just out there having fun. We know what it’s going to take at home or on the road, but it’s about playing loose and having fun.
   
• I didn’t think there was a chance to run on my 41-yard touchdown, but I knew there was going to be a chance to run in that game. I was looking for the deep shot on that play. I liked that play all week, and I told Collin Klein that, too. They kept their safety really high to take away our deep corner. I got my eyes back and saw a really big opening. When I got by the defensive line, there was nobody in front of me. The guys guarding the corner route didn’t see me until I got to the 25-yard line. They saw me late, so I cut back. I got tripped up a little, but made it into the end zone.
   
• It felt amazing to get to 8-0 by beating LSU in Death Valley, something we haven’t done in the SEC. It’s always fun doing business the right way. A team can prepare for somebody, but at he end of the day, you have to see them on that Saturday. You have to compete and play, and it’s the best man who wins. We got the job done. I’m very satisfied, but we still have a lot of work to do.
   
• It was just their time coming for Aston Bethel-Roman and Jamarion Morrow. Those guys stayed patient and came to work every day. Bethel-Roman has always been a threat to our defense in practice, and now, the SEC is starting to see it. It makes defenses think a little bit when they have to guard a third receiver, and Terry Bussey is a sleeper. We have a stable of running backs, but Morrow is a really hard worker. After all, he’s from Tennessee.
   
• Morrow is a really good player, and Trooper Taylor does a really good job with that room. He stays down, and when he gets his opportunities, he shines.
   
• The tight ends can do everything. Nate Boerkircher is another hard worker. He never had it easy. He was a walk-on at Nebraska who as worked his way up, and he’s making the most of his last year. He’s one of the best catchers I’ve ever seen. I can put the ball anywhere, and he’ll go get it. We have packages for him, and we like to play the game. The tight ends want to be involved in everything. Boerkircher, Micah Riley, Amari Niblack and Theo Melin-Öhrström want to play winning football, and that’s what you need in that room because they're asked to do a lot. Those guys embrace it, and you’ve seen their excitement on national television.
   
• Melin-Öhrström has some swagger. All of those guys have some swagger. His favorite artist is Rod Wave.
   
• You can see our offensive line push opponents to where they don’t want to anymore. These guys are physical, and they have fun with it. Mark Nabou Jr. and Ar’maj Reed-Adams, pre-game to push game...sheesh. Chase Bisontis is a silent assassin. He might talk a little smack. Trey Zuhn III and Dametrious Crownover are hard to get around. People get worn out trying their best. Our guys don’t give up, no matter way. Regardless of what the situation is or the circumstances or how banged up they are, you’re going to get their best. The Joe Moore Award should go straight to them. I love those guys to death, and I wouldn’t want to face them.
   
• Jake and Tye Herbstreit are way older than me, and Zak is two years above me. I played with Zak during my freshman year when he was a junior tight end, and we went to the state semifinals. I threw some touchdowns to him. We shaved our heads our first year on varsity, and he shaved my head at their house. He gave me the worst haircut ever. He patched me up. I had to go to the barber shop. You have to practice with your hair being all messed up, and when you put your helmet on, it feels uncomfortable.
   
• Nothing changes. I’m still here to play football. Headlines can be about me or not about me. Taurean York said something in an interview: If you think you have a lot on your plate, get bigger shoulders. Being quiet over the offseason and just trying to do my part is what Mike Elko preaches. We were all quiet in the offseason. We just want to win football games. It’s being proven with what Cashius Howell is doing right now. He wasn’t talked about, and he’s tearing up the game right now. I don’t want to face him. This entire team put its heads down and went to work, and we’re going to continue to do that until we get to where we want to be.
   
• We were doing the griddy in pregame, but I did the trip out in the end zone.
   
• It’s hard to say we don’t have the same energy, but we all do. I was with KC Concepcion, Jonah Wilson and Bussey last night, and we were just eating food. I’ll chat with guys on the other side of the locker room. We just want to be around each other. We have a different type of connection than we did last year. To build that connection is something I have not taken for granted at all. To build the connection with Klein as a first-year, full-time starter has been great, too. We saw a vision this offseason and put it to work. We’re having fun doing what we’re doing right now.