Dawgs Ready For Knights

FOOTBALL

Coach Mark Richt met with the media one last time here Thursday as the Dawgs have concluded preparations for their AutoZone Liberty Bowl contest with the 24th-ranked UCF Knights.

“We’re ready to play, we’re through practicing, and this morning we had a walk-through and some meetings, and the guys did exceptionally well in the practices in Athens and here in Memphis,” said Richt. “They have kept their focus. The guys have had a good time here and the hospitality has been great, and we appreciate everything that the AutoZone Liberty Bowl has done for the team. It’s all business from this point on and play the game.”

Richt was asked about the Knights freshman star signal-caller Jeff Godfrey and his impact on UCF’s offense.

“He’s a true freshman and he’s been spectacular,” said Richt. “He’s the number one freshman passer in America in passing efficiency, and he’s played well in the clutch, like on third down situations. They have converted 52 percent of their third downs, and that’s tremendous to be anything over 50 percent. When the pass is not there, he can run too.”

Richt said every team wants to win their bowl game to end the season on a high note, and it’s especially important to the seniors.

“We’ve been fighting to get to .500 after the 1-4 start, and we did that with the win over Georgia Tech,” said Richt. “This is our last and only chance to get above .500. The 1996 team was the last one to finish below .500, and we want to keep it that way.”

For fans attending the game, the Dawgs will have a “Dawg Walk” when they get to the stadium. Georgia is slated to arrive at 12:15 p.m. CT in the area known as “Tiger Lane” in the green lots between A and D.