WATCH: Linebacker Jett Johnson, Bulldogs focused on next step

Following Monday’s practice, Mississippi State senior linebacker Jett Johnson met with the media. Johnson remarked on staying the course in the second half of the season and trying to find ways to improve the defensive production:

Q: What is the mindset of the defense as you prepare for Western Michigan this week?
Johnson: You have to approach week-in and week-out the same. It’s a faceless opponent and this is actually a really good team. We have to be on our Ps and Qs as we always say. We have to get back to playing better defense, flying around with all 11 hats to the ball and do our thing.

Q: With the four linebacker look against Alabama, did that increase your communication role?
Johnson: Yeah it does. I told them and I was talking to Crum (Jaden) Crumedy before the game. I said look, if you blink out or something or forget, just ask me. We’ve been back there for awhile so you have to have a calm, level head during the game and kind of block out all of the outside stuff. I can tell you your assignments I need to and we were all good with that. We have great fans so it was a great atmosphere, obviously, and we were able to provide some weird looks.

Q: How was it to see Donterry Russell go out there healthy and making plays?
Johnson: Yeah, being healthy is a big thing, availability. He had great production Saturday, which is big for him especially with the depth issues. So it was good to see him making strides and we are going to need him in the near future.

Q: With the struggles, what has the message been from the seniors to the younger guys on the roster?
Johnson: Just control what you can control. Obviously, there’s not a lot of people on the outside that like us right now. So you can’t listen to a lot of that stuff. Just control what you can control. Coach (Zach) Arnett says it all the time and I think that is the honest truth. You have to approach each day as its own day, its own hour and down to the second. That is what I’ve done my whole career. You have to make sure you are doing the little things and eventually, not when you want it to, it adds up and hope for success.

Q: Arnett said today about playing angry. How do you channel that to playing better as a team?
Johnson: Obviously, that’s good and you want to play with anger but nothing over the top, still within the strengths of your job and your assignment. You have to play angry to play this sport, especially on defense with all 11 hats to the ball , violent intentions. That’s a good message. You got to be angry but also within your job.

Q: Do you feel like there’s a chip on the shoulders of the older guys to find that identity and start improving?
Johnson: Absolutely. For a lot of us it is our last year. We don’t want leave a bad legacy of bad defense here at State. So we have to get back to doing our thing. Coach (Matt) Brock puts us in great position. He pushes us day-in and day-out and I can’t say enough good things about him. We have to get back to doing our job, playing fast, physical and aggressive, and back to our identity.

Q: As an older guy, how do you tell the younger guys to not look past this game to the open date next week?
Johnson: 100 percent. Western Michigan is coming in here with nothing to lose. They should have beat Toledo who is big-time in their conference and they just came off a big win over Ball State. They are rolling with momentum and we are coming off losses. Week in and week out you got play with maximum intensity, maximum focus and then you can worry about the bye week.

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