Tuesday Press Conference ~ Offense

FOOTBALL

Coach Mark Richt and a delegation of football players addressed the media during the Dawgs’ weekly press luncheon on Tuesday. They offered the following comments:

Coach Mark Richt

On Georgia’s vertical passing game…

“I think we have some god vertical threats, and I think we have a quarterback who can put it on them. I like the vertical passing game. I like the passing game period. It’s the most fun as a coach. Coming up from playing quarterback to today, I still really enjoy a good passing game. There’s pass protection, all your blitz situations you have to deal with. You have your short, intermediate deep ball. There’s great strategy to it and it’s not easy to do. When you get good at it you can really shake some people up. You can really put a hurting on some outstanding defenses. Usually it’s the big play that will get a great defense a little uncomfortable to the point that you can break them down. It’s rare that you can hammer a great defensive football team and make them submit. Somewhere along the way you have to get a big play. It can be through the running game and it can be through the air as well, but most big plays come through the air.”

On Georgia’s running backs…

“I’m pleased with Todd Gurley, Keith Marshall and Ken Malcome. I think we have a good battery of backs. Everybody is staying healthy, everybody is being productive, everybody is staying fresh. That’s a good thing. I’m not saying any given day one of those three might get a bunch of carries. It could happen, but I like how we are rotating them right now.”

On Richard Samuel…

“He still plays both positions – fullback and tailback. He just didn’t get any reps the last game.”

On Michael Bennett…

“My first recollection of Michael was at a camp. It was actually at a camp where we felt like we had some of the better cover cornerbacks to come and participate in the camp - some kids from around the southeast. We were really anxious to see that these guys could do, and then Michael Bennett showed up and started whipping them. It was one of those camps where you practice a little bit, there’s a lunch break and you come back. During the lunch break we as a staff would grab a quick bite and will try to assess what we’ve seen to that point. We might have a certain position coach make sure they see a certain kid. A lot of times a kid will say who’s coming, but you don’t really know until that day. Michael was very impressive in the first half. I don’t remember exactly what I said, but if he came out in the second half and did as well as the first half, plus I wanted him to match up against the best DBs, we might offer this kid. Sure enough, the second half of the camp he continued to do what he did the first half. So at the end of the camp we offered him and it wasn’t long after that that he committed. He just showed great ability to run routes and had a toughness about him. He seemed to be in great condition, had great hands, very competitive nature, had good size. Of course since that time he’s really muscled up and has even gotten better at what he does. He’s a tough, hard-nosed football player, and he likes every aspect of the game. He plays special teams, he blocks well, he catches balls in traffic. We’ve seen him go deep a couple of times. Last year he had a couple of phenomenal catches – one against Florida on fourth down and one against Auburn early in the game. He’s just been very reliable for us.”

On the status of Watts Dantzler…

“Watts is getting there. He has a chance this week. I don’t know how much he’ll do this week, but he has a chance.”

On whether Mark Beard would start at left tackle if Dallas Lee can’t play…

“I think we would start with that lineup if Dallas can’t play. We’re not certain of that yet. I don’t know how much he’ll go today. He may not go at all today; we’ll just have to wait and see what he does. My guess is we would start with that same lineup that we finished the game with.”

Wide Receiver Michael Bennett

On his skill set…

“As a receiver you need be fast – it’s important to get open and use your speed. I need to show [those who think I can’t run] that I can do everything. I’ve gotta show them differently.”

On his first career 100-yard game…

“It was a goal of mine going into the year. I wanted to be a 100-yard receiver – it’s cool to do it. I know that’s a threshold that, as soon as you get to it, you know you can do it. I want to continue to do well and get yards for my team.”

On three different 100-yard receiving games by three different players…

“It makes it tough for opposing teams because they can’t key in on one guy. We give them three or four different receivers to look after. And with Artie Lynch having a great game on Saturday, there’s a tight end that they’ve got to look after. It’s a lot for a defense to focus on.”

Quarterback Aaron Murray

On the offense’s performance…

“We’re comfortable as an offense. Coach Mike Bobo has put a lot of trust in me and in the receivers to run great routs and get open and make plays. We feel great with our progress. There’s still work to be done and guys who still need to get comfortable in the four-receiver set, but we’re doing well.”

On Michael Bennett…

“Since day one he’s been a kid who has worked his tail off. He’s a very physical receiver – as a quarterback you love a big, strong receiver who can get off a jam and crate space, and he’s able to do that. He’s out there every day in practice working hard, and in the film room watching film making sure he’s ready.”

On Vanderbilt…

“They’re strong in the secondary, they’re strong everywhere. The thing that jumps out about them on film is how hard they play, every single snap. Whether it’s a two-yard run you have defensive backs running up the field, or on a 30-yard pass you have linemen sprinting to get involved in the play – they have a lot of intensity and they don’t give up.”