University of Georgia head football coach Kirby Smart, along with
several players, previewed the upcoming game against Auburn with media on
Monday. The Dawgs take on the Tigers at 3:30 p.m. ET Saturday at Jordan-Hare
Stadium.
Smart and the Dawgs offered the
following comments on Monday.
Head Coach Kirby Smart
Opening comments …
“Today we begin our preparation for what I
think is a fantastic Auburn team. They are very physical upfront — offensive
line and defensive line. They have a back that is playing at a really high
level. They have a quarterback that has an extremely strong arm and does a nice
job throwing the ball vertically down the field. I think (Defensive Coordinator)
Kevin (Steele) has done a really good job defensively. I think the numbers show
that. They are really physical upfront, and they do a great job. They have
always been good on special teams under Gus (Malzahn) and they have a good
all-around football team.
Obviously, the environment to play over
there I have been there a lot throughout my coaching career. They get loud in
there and they do a really good job of creating an environment. They feed off
of that. So, the challenges are in front of us. We will find out a lot about
this team playing on the road. It’s a tough place to play against a really good
football team.”
On what it is like to play at Auburn and
memorable games he has experienced there …
“It’s the same challenge it is at most SEC
places. It’s just a little bit louder, and they have a good team. The better
the team is the tougher the place to play is. Their fans get loud, get rowdy —
they are there pregame until the end and there have been some really loud
moments playing in that stadium. I would not expect it to be any different on
Saturday.”
On if this is the toughest offensive line
he has seen since Notre Dame …
“By far. It is the combination of — it is
not just the o-line, it is the quarterback who can put them in the right play,
makes good decisions, has great arm talent and a back that you have to tackle.
He is running wild on people. He will bounce out, he will hit it up inside. He
runs with great toughness, physical. I have seen this kid grow for a long time.
I watched him play all through high school. He has become a really good back,
and they do a good job of using his strengths. The fullback does not get much
credit. Chandler Cox does a great job blocking for him, and they have more
speed at wide out this year than they have had in the past. I actually think
they get to use it because of the quarterback — his strengths. So, the
combination of that with a good offensive line — it is really a recipe for what
Gus has been wanting, which I think indicates their offensive numbers.”
On how Auburn’s vertical passing game
compares to a few years back …
“There are similarities for sure. I think
Nick’s ability to run the ball, the quarterback run game, is a little bit
different. Jarrett (Stidham) is a really good athlete. He can run it. They do
not ask him to run it as much but he certainly can. He has done some things to
pull the ball. They have a vertical passing game. They have always had a
vertical passing game. It’s just a matter of having the right guy to throw it
to them. They have that guy now. They do a great job of it.”
On punter Cameron Nizialek and his
impact on the team …
“His maturity — I mean the way in which he
practices. He practices the right way. Those guys they interact, they help each
other, they spend a lot of time together. He is very business like. He has a
schedule he is set to each week — when he kicks, how much he kicks. I think a
lot of those guys can take a lot from that and hopefully it rubs off on our
younger kickers because we are going to have a hole to fill when he leaves.”
On Auburn giving up sacks to Clemson and
what has changed since then …
“I think there is a little misnomer there
with that because when you watch that game they are not the same team now that
they were then. They are not the same offensive line now that they were then.
Clemson certainly has some really elite rushers, and they got after them. It
was also their quarterback’s first time playing at Auburn in a big game in a
situation like that, so I don’t really go much off that. Clemson has their
personnel and they play the way they play. We have our personnel and we play
the way we play. They are not always the same. They did a tremendous job
getting pressure. We need to get pressure to affect the quarterback, but you
also have to cover the guys out there they have running the routes. They have
some really fast guys out there running their routes, so the big thing is
stopping the run and not giving up big plays.”
On what he stresses to his defense when
playing a balanced offense like Auburn’s …
“Keeping the edges. Making sure that they
run between the tackles and that you tackle well. At the end of the day, he can
go where he wants to go with the ball. He has great speed. He gets out a lot of
his runs. Last year against us he bounced out, he broke out and does a good job
doing that. We keep him cut off on the backend — they know the defenses we are
going to play. Gus has seen the defenses we play for seven to eight years it
seems like. We know the run plays they are going to run. They are not going to
reinvent the wheel. We have to go out there and play blocks, tackle the man
with the ball and not give up big plays.”
On how he keeps his team grounded in the
moment and if there has been any mention of winning the SEC East since Saturday
…
“We have not really gotten together as a
team since Saturday. All of that broke out afterward. We have team meetings and
things today, but that has not been a major concern for us. Our concern has
always been on the next opponent, and this is really where we are now.”
On what keeps the team grounded …
“I think the messaging that we create and
pass down through the staff and through the leaders in the group. Just talking
to them so that they relay the message to the rest of the team has been the
best, most effective way to get the point across. To have those guys do it and
not just do it ourselves because when they do it they take ownership in it. We
had them write some things down and then pass that out and let the players see
it. It is easier to write it down sometimes than to say it through a kid that
is not used to getting in front of the team. We have tried different tactics.
Ultimately, it boils down to preparation week-by-week, and we will continue to
do that this week.”
On if Javon Wims’ development at wide
receiver and the trust that the coaching staff has in him …
“You earn trust, and he has earned the
ability to catch the ball, protect the ball and go up and get the ball. He has
worked really hard to improve. He continues to improve with his blocking, his
physicality. He has to continue to improve on every part of his game, but he
has done a nice job. Ultimately, he has given Jake (Fromm) a comfort zone that
he has a go-to guy. Terry (Godwin) has done a good job with that as well. The
wideouts — we talked earlier in the year — they have to catch the ball that is
thrown to them. They have to take advantage of the opportunities these backs
give them. At the end of the day, some of the looks they get are based on the
backs, and they have to catch the ball. Those two guys have done that.”
On the progress of Jake Fromm …
“From the beginning of the year, he has
done well in decision making. I think playing in that Notre Dame environment
was really good for him because that was one of the tougher environments. Early
in the Tennessee game was that way. He continues to improve each day, and this
will be another tough environment. He has to make good decisions. He has to
execute the plan. He has to be able to give the playmakers the ball. As long as
he does those things and makes good decisions, we are a pretty good football
team because we can complement defense, special teams and offense, but he has
to continue to do that.”
On how Natrez Patrick has handled the last
few weeks …
“His discipline is being handled
internally like it always is. He has been practicing with us the last couple of
weeks. He will continue to practice with us and that competition will continue
to go on.”
On being 9-0 and how his experience at
Alabama has helped him …
“I think the experience does help. I think
a veteran team that has had it happen before usually manages it better than a
team for the first time. Sometimes it can work in reverse where you come to
expect that and you get comfortable with that and you don’t respect it. Our
kids have taken ownership. They have really tried to own the burden of this by
preparing the right way. We try to manage it as coaches. You don’t want to
belabor the point but they get it. They know they are getting ready to go play
a really good team, and they know where we are as a team, so I think all those
things help.”
On Jake Fromm’s preparedness to handle
being the starting quarterback as a true freshman…
“I think the high school programs across
the country have come so far. They throw so much. They do so much
competitive 7-on-7. He grew up in a system where his coach went and met with
every college coach in the country because he wanted to learn. It wasn’t
like he was not comfortable passing the ball, checking runs, and doing things.
That complexity of high school football and development of high school
football has allowed him to come in more prepared, as well as other
quarterbacks across the country. They come in more prepared to do it."
On Jake Fromm’s personality and maturity
as a freshman…
“That’s just his personality. He’s
been that way his whole life. He’s got a lot of intangibles. He’s a good
leader. He’s not afraid of competition. He played baseball.
Kids that grew up playing multiple sports like that, they’ve just been
around it. He’s not intimidated by the moment. That comes a lot from his
upbringing and just his competitive nature.”
On the
similarities between Georgia and Auburn, especially offensively…
“I think similarities help and that you get
to practice against each other some. You get to look and go against each
other. You have to be really careful how you manage that and how much you
do good-on-good, but it helps the likeness of the two. There are
similarities defensively as well. That part is good. On how it hurts you,
I don’t really know that it does. I think at the end of the day they run
their plays, we run our plays, it boils down to who’s going to make the play on
the ball when they throw it deep. Same way for them- who’s going to make
the tackle in the open field, who’s not going to turn the ball over, and who is
going to play well on special teams. Those are things that we are going
to try to focus on and get better at to prepare for the game. It’s not going to
be a magic dust that you sprinkle on. It’s not going to come down to
where the game is played. It’s going to boil down to the players making
plays and we have to do a good job to put them in the situation that they can
do that. That they can execute and perform well.”
On whether he knows the play call prior to
the snap- a run or a pass…
“We know based on the look, but (Jake
Fromm) could decide to do different based on what he sees. That’s why
it’s really important the person in that position understands the gravity of
which it could affect the game. That’s true all across college football.
They have the same option. They have a quarterback that decides whether
to hand it off or run it on most plays. That’s the age of football we live in.
It’s nothing new. It’s been that way for quite a while. You just want a
trigger man that makes good decisions and understands the game, has instincts.”
On the message to the team this week
having never lost to Auburn while at Georgia…
“Our message has always been that the past
doesn’t affect the present and that message is still true. What would any
game in the past against Auburn have anything to do with this game? I don’t
know that it does because I don’t think their team is anything like it was the
last three years and I don’t think our team is anything like it was. The past
doesn’t affect the present. The present will affect the present. What we
do in the present matters a lot.”
On handling situations such as Terry
Godwin’s fumble from Saturday against South Carolina…
“It’s very technical. What did you
do wrong? How can you do it better? How do you do it better next time? That’s
the best thing that you can do with these kids is be technical. What did
I technically do wrong, not anything else.”
On the talent level of the defense after
losing a starter and staying consistent defensively…
“It says that our coaches are getting guys
prepared well. I certainly think that we’ve had to play some guys that
maybe, in the day and time might not have been ready, have had to step up to
play. They have good players in front of them. They have good players
around them. They understand the system. I think that’s always the case,
you want to do that. We haven’t played great or really well at some
spots, we’ve given up some plays because of guys being out. At the end of
the day they continue to improve and hopefully it will pay off or us later on,
the fact that those young guys got to play.”
Graduate Punter Cameron Nizialek
On teammate and place kicker Rodrigo
Blankenship getting named a semifinalist for the Lou Groza Award…
“I saw the tweet and forwarded it to him.
He had already seen it but it is great for him. He has been playing great this
season and has really put in the time to improve his game. I’m excited for
him.”
On traveling and playing at Auburn…
“One of the reasons why I came to Georgia
was to play in these big games at the big venues. I’m excited anytime to get
out there and help the team.”
On strategy of punting…
“Usually when we are on the positive side
of the 50-yard line, I’m going to try to drop it nose down so it creates back
spin. If you hit it regular then there is a good chance it is going into the
end zone. When you hit it nose down you don’t have to take anything off of it
so you can hit it as hard as you want. It is the same motion."
Senior RB Sony Michel
On the depth at the running back position…
“It’s huge. Like I said, it keeps guys
fresh. Ultimately our goal is to wear down defenses, so four-to-five backs, you
can wear down defenses that way. Guys are going to get tired on the other side
of the ball. We don’t get tired, but we also have other guys that can step in
and go from there.”
On sharing the ball with other Georgia
running backs…
“Me personally, and I think I can speak
for the rest of the backs on the team, we‘re not really into the personal
accolades, those kind of things just come. So, sharing the load, being able to
have other guys in there to challenge you, and push you, is the ultimate goal.
And winning games. It’s fun when you’re winning games and not worried about
rushing for such-and-such amount of yards and such-and-such touchdowns, the
ultimate goal is to win games. That’s what all the guys, and myself included,
are here for.”
On concentrating on Auburn…
"We know as a football team we are
going to be playing a good football team. They’re going to give us their best
and we’re going to give them our best. And we’ve got to prepare each week like
it’s the last game. We can’t really look forward. When you look forward, you’re
not really focused on the task at hand.”
On Jake Fromm…
“His preparation, the way he prepares is
unbelievable. I think he’s making pretty good calls. Him and Coach Chaney, they
practice that. Watch a lot of film, do a lot of studying, so I think he’s
well-aware of what needs to do.”
Senior ILB Reggie Carter
On what to expect from Auburn…
“A physical game. They run the ball well.
They have a very physical offensive line. They have playmakers on both sides of
the ball. Physical game, physical in the pocket, and a loud crowd.”
On Roquan Smith…
“During camp his freshman year, he didn’t
know the playbook as well as a freshman, but he showed flashes of a whole bunch
of athletic stuff he did, and I knew from there he was going to be a great
player with his work ethic and his ability to learn and focus. He has speed,
but Roquan is smart. He’s a student of the game. People don’t really know that,
but he’s a student of the game. He’s always watching film, he’s always asking
questions to get better.”
Senior Nose Tackle John Atkins
On taking it one game at a time…
“Our leadership doesn’t let it get that
far. Right now, our freshmen are undefeated. They haven’t lost a game. We’ve
all been through the 8-5 seasons, and stuff like that. We talk them, and tell
them it’s not over. We’ve still got to practice.”
On winning the SEC East…
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