Post Game Quotes

Georgia Head Coach Kirby Smart

On the win:  “That was a long time coming for our kids. They’ve worked really hard. We have a lot of respect for Appalachian State. Our team played really hard in the second half. … Our kids were persistent. We talked about chopping wood and keeping it going.”

On Jacob Eason:  “We’re not sure how long Jacob is going to be out. We don’t know the extent or how long.”

On Jake Fromm:  “We didn’t have to make a lot of adjusting. Jacob and Jake have similar qualities. Jake’s a good player and we’re excited about what he can do. Jake managed the game well. We’ll keep working to get him better.”

On the defense:  “Coach Mel Tucker did a tremendous job and the kids played hard for him. He’s so passionate. We just kept executing.”

On special teams:  “The punting flipped the field. Cameron Nizialek did a great job. The coverage did a great job. Rodrigo Blankenship kicked it in the end zone and was a weapon.”

On Notre Dame preparation:  “We’ve got a huge game next week. That’s a great opponent on both sides of the ball and in the kicking game. … We’ll make it simple for the players. We’ll go out and get ready to go play. Notre Dame is a good football team, a great program. We’re excited for the opportunity. We’ll get prepared because it will be a physical, tough game.”

On the young players:  “We’re still not where we need to be. We don’t have enough depth at some positions. When players get an opportunity to play, what are they going to do? We need more people playing winning football when we put them in the game.”  

Sophomore Tight End Isaac Nauta

On the offense’s performance:  “We did a good job today. There’s definitely stuff we’ve gotta clean up, but overall I’m proud of everybody. They fought hard.”

On sophomore quarterback Jacob Eason’s injury:  “Obviously, Jacob Eason is one of our brothers. You never like to see that for a guy. We’re all gonna rally around him and it’s going  to be good.”

On freshman quarterback Jake Fromm’s performance:  “We’ve practiced so hard and those guys get a lot of reps, so Fromm came in and he did a great job. We knew he was gonna do good for us and he’s a good player, so we were excited.”  

Sophomore Wide Receiver Mecole Hardman  

On Sony Michel running the ‘Wild Dawg’ formation:  “Sony’s running the ball pretty good, so why not just give it to him direct and let him do his thing? It depends on how the game’s going, who’s had a good game and how that goes.”

On Javon Wims’ performance:  “Javon showed out. I enjoy seeing him go up and get the ball and playing more physical than he has been. I love for him to put on a  show and I’m here for him.”

On Jake Fromm’s performance:  “Jake came in and did his thing. You can’t complain about that. I think we prepared Jake to do what he did in practice and what he did today out here on the field.”  

Junior Defensive Lineman Trenton Thompson

On the defensive performance:  “We just keep working, ‘cause we won’t stop. We’ve gotta keep staying together because if we don’t, something else could happen.”

Confidence heading into next week:  “The confidence is in the game plan our coach has for us and how we practice Monday through Thursday … As long as we stay  together at practice, understand what we have to do as a unit and as a defense, and our offense is gonna hold our back.”

Appalachian State Head Coach Scott Satterfield 

On how to build on tonight's game:  "There are certainly a lot of things we can correct and fix, we played a lot of young players tonight, started three true freshmen on offense. This is their first college game; they just got here in July, so to come in here in this environment, I thought they played well.  So we've got a lot to build off of. Georgia's a really good football team, and they'll have a great year, so hopefully we will too as we move on."

On Fromm's entry into the game and performance:  "We prepared for their offense, and they still ran the same offense. Eason was a little shaky to start the game, and our defense was playing really well. Fromm comes in, and he hits the first two balls, and they get first downs. They get a little bit of momentum, and I thought Fromm played well throughout the rest of the day. They leaned on their runningbacks, and their runningbacks, I thought, ended up wearing us down and having a really good second half."

On Georgia's depth on defense:  "They have such great length throughout their front seven. Coming in to the game, if there's a weak spot, maybe the secondary. I  thought they played well in the secondary as well. Of course we've got two true freshmen out there, and it's hard for them to get loose at times. But Trent Thompson is a really good football player, and Roquan Smith and Natrez Patrick at linebacker, and then you've got two big bodies Lorenzo Carter and Davin Bellamy on the outside. They're 6‐5, 6‐6, they're just a really good defense, and they've played a lot of football in their time here, and I think they'll end up being one of the better defenses in the SEC."

Appalachian State Senior Quarterback Taylor Lamb 

Playing inside stadium:  "It was a cool experience. I came to games as a kid and I know a lot of guys on that football team there, a lot of alumni from the school. So it was cool to see those guys and play in Sanford Stadium."

On the defense:  "I think we played well at times but the penalties and we were behind the sticks. So the third and longs, the second and longs, you’re not going to like the outcome against a team like that when you’re in those situations. So we have to fix those minor things. Our offense is based on staying in front of the sticks so we have to fix those things and get back to it next week. Biggest challenge of the game … I think just getting in a groove, we had a good play then a penalty or a bad play behind the sticks so getting in a groove out there. We got in a groove kind of in the second quarter there but you know you have to give a testament to that defense. They’re extremely good, they’re fast, they’re big and they had a good game playing against us."

Appalachian State Senior Outside Linebacker Devan Stringer 

Georgia offense: "They did really well. They’re a very challenging team and they have a lot of weapons. They kept pounding the ball, pounding the ball until it worked. We gave up some big plays that really hurt us. I commend our fight to the end, we kept fighting. We got some turnovers there in the fourth quarter and we continued to show up and fight."

The freshman QB: "He played pretty well [for a] freshman quarterback coming in. You know what I’m saying? He set his feet, he made good decisions, and he threw the ball well. He kept us off tempo a little bit." Playing here… "It was great, a great way to start my senior year. We didn’t get the outcome we wanted but like I said we fought to the end and I’m really proud of my guys. We have a lot to work on but we’re going to get there."