Tuesday Press Conference ~ Offense

FOOTBALL

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

Coach Mark Richt

On Georgia’s running game the last two games…

“The defenses are definitely trying to gear to stop us in the running game on first and second down especially, maybe a little bit more. We were getting a lot more two-safety looks and a lot more one-safety looks on the early downs rushing the ball. We still need to run the ball better than we have been. Of course to say that against one of the best rush defenses in America, you may run for less yards than you are averaging and still have a heck of a day running the ball when you’re rushing the ball against a team like Florida. We definitely don’t want to abort the run by any means. We have to make sure that we run it well and run it to the point where they have some respect for it and it helps you reduce yardage on third down and helps you have some decent play action opportunities as well.”

On the importance of Aaron Murray’s play in this game…

“I think just about everybody’s quarterback has to play pretty good to win a game like this, but Aaron in particular. He’s just been so valuable to us to get us into the right play as many times as possible in games. We do give him options at the line of scrimmage to try to give us the best chance of success, so that’s huge for him, and I think that the way he studies the game and just historically he’s done a very good job of that at this point in his career. I think that he’s got to do a good job of just making decisions back there when he drops back and reads coverage. He’s got to stay with his progression and not try to go off the beaten path in any way. You know, there’s going to be some situations with a defense like this that somebody’s not going to be open or the protection may not be as good as you want, but how are you going to manage that? Are you going to manage it by throwing it away and not taking a sack, or do you have to take a sack, or are you going to wrap it up where the ball doesn’t come out? That’s really what it comes down to. There will be times when he’ll move out of the pocket, I’m sure. He’ll be in a situation where he’s scrambling, and will he keep his eyes downfield and find an open man or when he crosses the line of scrimmage will he do a good job of not taking a vicious hit if he can help it and protecting the ball as he gets tackled? Those are just the fundamental things that he has to do well. If guys are open and the protection’s there, you’ve got to put it on them. The way that they play defense, it’s going to be tighter coverage than some of the games (we’ve played this season), but not all of the games. Like last year particularly, they played a ton of a five-man rush man coverage and one safety deep, and they matched up on our receivers. We kind of came limping into that game with some receivers and some inexperienced guys, and all of the sudden those guys made plays. But they were tough plays, and even the fourth down catches were hotly contested throws and catches in very tight coverage.

On freshman offensive tackle John Theus…

“The thing about John now is that he’s played for seven games. That’s a lot of plays and a lot of them in the SEC, so he’s not quite just a pure rookie anymore. He’s been trying to protect some pretty good football players, so he just has a better gauge of what it’s all about. But he’s still a rookie. One year from now, he’ll be stronger and more experienced, and he’ll have a little bit more confidence in knowing what’s coming at him. So he’ll certainly be a better player a year from now than he is today but he’s a better player today than he was a month ago or six weeks ago.”

On Malcolm Mitchell…

“Malcolm loves football, obviously. He loves offense, defense, and special teams. He loves to play, and he wants to make plays and be significant every time he’s in the game. We think that he has a lot of bravery and speed and agility to be a good kick return man. You have to have some nerve back there. He’s starting to become much more productive as a wide receiver and getting more opportunities and getting more comfortable. So, I hope he continues to improve in all areas because he’s a very talented guy.”

On Mark Beard…

“Mark Beard has really come on for us. He played a little bit more in the Kentucky game than in some of the games prior to that due to Dallas Lee tweaking his ankle a little bit, but he’s an athletic guy. He’s getting more comfortable as we go, and it’s not a bad looking lineup when Beard’s in there. I think Beard will end up playing, and I think Dallas will end up playing. I’m not sure who will start. If Beard starts, Gates is a guard, and if Lee starts, Gates will be a tackle. But he will play in this ballgame.”

Wide Receiver Marlon Brown

On scoring this weekend…

“It’s just about execution – every play, we need to do that. We need to make sure we execute and do what we’re capable of doing, and we’ll be okay.”

On Florida-week hype…

“It’s a different week because everyone makes it a different week. To me, it’s still Saturday. I’m going to work as hard as I always do. It’s Saturday, but there’s probably just a bit more to it.”

On Florida’s defense…

“They’re real physical. They like to press a lot. It’s going to be a real tough match for us, for sure.”

Quarterback Aaron Murray

On the need to control turnovers…

“We definitely need to take care of the ball. Coach Richt has talked to us about that a lot this week. He’s looked back and obviously you can look at some games and see that they were decided by turnovers one way or another. We need to do a good job offensively of protecting the ball when we’re running, and for me, making sure I’m not careless throwing the ball. But at the same time, you can’t go into the game thinking about it too much. You’ve got to go in, play, and react, and have fun. If you’re timid as the quarterback and you try to make a throw, that’s when you’re inaccurate and you don’t give your guys a chance to make plays. I’ve got to go out there and trust my fundamentals and trust my preparation, and what I’ve done all week in practice, and let loose when it’s game time.”

On the mindset of the team…

“The guys are ready. I don’t think it matters heading into this game which team is ranked what – there are so many emotions no matter what. I think we’ll probably play harder than we have all year. It’s a fun game and I love being a part of it. I know I’ll be ready and my teammates will be ready to go.”

On differences in preparation for Florida…

“I think the guys are maybe a little more pumped up during the week in practice. We’re probably practicing a little harder, watching more film, but like I said, you can’t go in there scared. My goal this week is to have positive thoughts, have fun, and let it rip. Sometimes if you’re too cautious you’ll throw that interception. I’m trusting in my abilities and my prep.”