FOOTBALL
Coach Mark Richt
On Georgia’s defensive improvements throughout the season:
I think just an understanding of what Coach Todd Grantham wants has been a big part of it. I think our coaches are getting a better feel of who can do what and what we are capable of doing. We’ve made some personnel changes that we think are going to be good for us, but sometimes it’s not a personnel change, but it’s a change in philosophy of what you might think a kid is capable of doing. As the season has gone on, I know we’ve learned a lot about our personnel. I say we, mainly Coach Grantham, Coach Scott Lakatos and Coach Warren Belin. Our new coaches are learning our guys and getting a feel of how much responsibility they can give them. Whether it’s a change of personnel or just an understanding of what a guys strengths are and weaknesses are, try to play to the strengths of the players.
On whether he expected it would take a year for the defensive coaches to get a feel for the personnel:
I was hoping it wouldn’t, but I guess it’s pretty natural for that to happen. There’s always a learning curve. When something is brand new, it takes a while. We’ve had some very good outings defensively, but I think we’ll get a whole lot better as the season rolls on. Going into next season I think we’ll be a lot better.
On what team has played the best defensively against Auburn:
If you go by point production, Mississippi State did. It was a 17-14 final. It seems like LSU held them to 24. Clemson held them to three in the first half. Not many games under 30 and only one under 20, which was the Mississippi State game. Part of that was the game kind of stayed close. Mississippi State, they are pretty run-oriented also. They were going to use a good bit of the clock when they were having success running the ball. All those things came into play. Towards the end of the game when Auburn had the lead, they weren’t trying to do anything spectacular at the end of the game. They were just trying to run out the clock. I think some of that was going on too. They were trying to manage the victory instead of trying to see how many points they could score that day towards the end of the game. Those guys did a good job.
On Marcus Dowtin:
When he’s had his opportunity to play, most of the time he’s done well. He’s like everybody else. Part of that last answer I had, coaches learning what Marcus can and can’t do or what his strengths are and him understanding the system better. Marcus is very athletic. He does like to play physical. The more he understands what’s expected of him in this defense, the better he’ll be able to play. I think he’s done a nice job for us, but like all of them, he can continue to improve.
On how Cam Newton impacts Georgia’s outside linebackers:
You have to be careful. Certain guys, if you rush them real hard, you penetrate real hard, they create seams. Those are the kind of guys who can take off and run. If a defensive line doesn’t have a great fear of that quarterback crossing the line of scrimmage and making plays with his feet then you tend to be a little more reckless in how you go after him. He’s another quarterback, and there aren’t many quarterbacks who finish runs like Tim Tebow did and like Cam does. Cam usually wins the human equation. I don’t know if I’ve seen anybody knock him back. They just do more than get in the pocket. They are breaking the pocket by design with nakeds, boots and sprintouts, then they have the option. They have so many different things. It’s not like all he does is get in that pocket. If you get him to the point where they are going to throw some pocket passes, you just can’t go in there with reckless abandon after the guy because you are probably not going to get him.
LB #51 Akeem Dent
Dowtin’s a really exciting guy to play with. He always brings a lot of energy and excitement to the game. He’s a hard worker and he’s been going really well this year. He’s been really focused the last couple of weeks and taken more responsibility knowing what to do and he’s gotten a whole lot more opportunities to play football.
On the play of Cam Newton:
As a defense, we don’t get caught up and focus on one guy. Even though he’s the key to their offense going, Cam Newton, and he’s a great athlete and a great player, you still have to be worried about their receivers and their running backs so we have to create a game plan that stops all 11 guys and not just one.
On what he has learned about Cam Newton’s style of play:
He’s a great athlete. He has a strong arm and can make all the throws. He’s a very good runner. When he gets in open space, he can a guy miss or try to run over you or stiff arm you. He brings a lot of things to the table. We’ll just have to be ready.
LB #45 Christian Robinson
On how many of his friends and family have talked to him about Cam Newton this week:
I think I’ve had more messages this week than I did during the Florida game. Everyone wants to go, everybody’s trying to figure out what were going to do and asking, are you going to be able to take down Cam? I’m not the biggest but all of my friends have been asking me about that.
On what the defense needs to do differently to tackle Newton:
I think that a lot of the time you have to get lucky with what style of tackling you use to go against him. If you go high, he’s going to stiff arm you and give you the Heisman. If you go low, he’ll just move on you. You have to wrap up on him and just watching film, I think we saw the same guy miss a tackle three times on the same play. It’s just like, how is that possible? He’s so good but he has so many weapons that he can use too.
On whom Newton reminds him of as a player:
A bigger, stronger Michael Vick maybe. He can run and he can throw. Just watching what he did last week, he set his new personal best in passing yards. He just has so many weapons and if you try to stop the run, he’s going to throw it. He’s got a good surrounding cast with him too, with Dyer and Adams and the other receivers, you can’t just stop him. He’s going to give the ball to other people and you have to be ready to stop all of the options that they have.
CB #19 Sanders Commings
On Auburn:
They have great players, from their quarterback to their O-line to their receivers. They’re just an all-around team on offense. They have three running backs that play a lot, their receivers are good. I’m looking forward to that challenge.
On Cam Newton’s passing ability:
That’s one thing that people overlook because he’s such a great runner but he can pass the ball. Last game, he threw for around 350 yards. The secondary, on scrambles, we can’t leave our man because he can sling it down the field.
On the play of freshman safety Alec Ogletree:
He’s a bone crusher. He can bring it. As a freshman, he’s very impressive they way he hits people. He’s 6-3, 230 lbs. That’s a big safety, probably one of the biggest in the SEC. He’s definitely a plus to have.
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