Due
to rainy conditions, the 15th-ranked Dawgs utilized the
Indoor Athletic Facility (IAF) for most of their two-hour practice Wednesday.
Earlier
in the day, head coach Kirby Smart took part in the SEC Football Coaches Weekly
Media Teleconference and said the Dawgs are focused on the upcoming season
opener with Appalachian State.
“Appalachian
State has proven to be a team with a great winning culture up there with Coach Scott Satterfield,” said Smart. “We are really excited to get back out and go
play. There are a lot of kids that played last year that are coming back for us
as well with them. They return 14-15 starters, very similar like we do. I
anticipate a great turnout from our fan base and an exciting atmosphere.”
Smart
was asked about last year’s App State-Tennessee game where the Mountaineers
defense, despite being undersized, was able to have success stopping the
Volunteer rushing attack.
“They’re
the fastest defense I’ve seen on tape and that goes for every position,” said
Smart. “We had that tape last year because we played Tennessee a few weeks
after them. That was one of the tapes we studied. They do a tremendous job
defensively. I’m talking about flying to the ball, their pursuit. They get
incredible leverage. They are outweighed, but they are lower than a 300-pounder
that they are going against. They get leverage on them because they are shorter
and get up under them. They play with incredible speed, toughness, quickness
and tenacity. It speaks volumes to what they’ve created because they recruit a
certain type of player and that player is fast. They play really hard on
defense.”
After
Wednesday’s workout, selected offensive players met with the media and said
they are looking forward to the season getting started this Saturday. Also,
they know about App State’s historic upset of then No. 5 Michigan in the 2007
season opener in Ann Arbor.
“I’ve
seen highlights of that game at least four times this week,” said senior
offensive lineman Isaiah Wynn. “I’ve seen it during workouts; it’s on in the
weight room. We have to be prepared to play.”
 |
| Jacob Eason (Photo by Steven Colquitt) |
Sophomore
quarterback Jacob Eason was asked how this year’s opener is different compared
to his freshman season.
“I
know I’m getting the first snap, and I have to be prepared,” said Eason. “Last
year, I had to be prepared too, but I didn’t know when I was going to play so
it’s a little different.
“Coach Jim Chaney has done a good job with the offense, it should be fun to watch,”
added Eason.
No comments:
Post a Comment