University of Georgia head football coach Kirby Smart, along with
several players, previewed the upcoming SEC Championship game against Auburn
with media on Monday. The Dawgs take on the Tigers at 4:10 p.m. ET Saturday
at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
Smart and the
Dawgs offered the following comments on Monday.
Head Coach
Kirby Smart
Opening comments…
“We will begin today on a little more of our mental and physical
prep for Auburn. As you know, we are playing in the Dome so we hope to be
able to go inside some this week. Maybe not everyday, just a couple days
to practice inside to prepare for it. I got a lot of respect for Gus and
his team. I have a lot of respect for Coach Steele and the job he’s done
defensively. They’re playing at a really high level, probably one of the
hottest teams in college football, if not the hottest team in college football.
They have good players on both sides of the ball. They have really good
specialists, one that may be the best in the country. They’re playing at
a high level and they’re a good football team. We’ll take on those
challenges this week and prepare our team to play. We are going to get our guys
ready to go out and be at our best when our best is needed. It’s
certainly needed this week.”
On Auburn’s offensive front being able to
dominate in the previous game played this season..
“Yeah anytime you play an SEC game the line of scrimmage is
straight warfare. Warfare is what we call it. It’s big, physical guys
going after it. I think the line of scrimmage is really critical in this
game for both sides. You can say our offensive line being physical is
just as important as our defensive line being physical. We have to go a
good job against the knock back. They have a really big, physical offensive
line and they’re really patient in the way they block. And the guy they
have behind that offensive line is pretty good running the ball as well. I don’t know that it’s our defensive line having to play better, honestly
it’s everybody as a team. We have to tackle better. We have to keep our edges
better. We have to be able to run the ball better on offense. At the end
of the day it’s a lot of parts that have to be better than just our defensive
line.”
On sending some potentially missed calls into
the league…
“No comment.”
On how avenging a loss can be a motivating
factor and his experiences with it at Alabama…
“You can watch the tape of the game, but I think it’s great. It fires you up pre-game and gets you all excited, but when the toe meet
leather it’s about striking people, it’s about speed, it’s about
blocking, tackling, it’s about having composure. It’s about having
discipline. It really doesn’t revert back to who won the previous game. It
matters a lot more about what you do in that game because the other game is
past history. Now whether or not you say that it helps mentally with your
preparation, that somebody is more focused than the other, I don’t know. I certainly think Auburn was more focused down the stretch because their
backs were against the wall. They had two losses. Now everybody’s
backs against the wall. I think you should prepare the same, regardless
of your record, regardless of a revenge factor and be real consistent in your
approach so that the players are able to understand that it’s important to
prepare right for every game. We don’t say that this game is more
important than the other because it’s the next game. The next game is
always the most important.
We didn’t use the game (at Alabama). There wasn’t a whole lot
from the game. It was, like, 9-6. It was an extremely physical game
so the next game was going to be extremely physical. It was in the break
down and we used it to make decisions, but this is completely different
circumstances. LSU’s offense was unique then to LSU. Auburn’s
offense is not unique to just Auburn. There are teams that run similar
offenses to Auburn. They don’t run as efficiently, they don’t run them as
good. That was a two-back run team at LSU then and that was the only team we
played all year that did that.”
On what Jake Fromm needs to do to play better in
this game against Auburn…
"Just need to play the quarterback position, make good
decisions, put us in the right plays. It's really important he plays with
poise. He's under duress in every game that I've seen. The quarterback position
in this league, you're going to be under duress. It's one of those that he has
to execute the plan, not try to be superhuman, allow his play makers around him
to help make plays and play within the system. A big part of this game is not
making turnovers, and we've got to try to force some on them and not turn it
over ourselves."
On D'Andre Walker getting more playing time
and the effect he could have in the game on Saturday…
"He's done a good job. A very athletic, hard-to-block guy,
plays with great toughness, great effort. He played really well, looking back
at the Tech game, he was able to help us. It was a situation where it fit what
he does well too. So he's improving, and he's very conscientious about his
special teams work and his defensive end work."
On motivations from Nick Chubb and Sony
Michel entering this game and keys to preparation for the run game…
"Yeah, run game is all about movement. You've got to get
movement. When they run the ball well at Auburn, they get movement. When we run
the ball well at Georgia we usually get movement. When you don't get movement
up front, it's tough. It's tough sledding, especially in our league. I think
Sony and Nick, they understood going into that game it was going to be tough.
Certainly didn't expect it to be that tough. But it's one of the things that we've
moved on past that. We're focused on this opportunity, and those two guys will
be at their best, I know that, because they're competitors and they'll give us
everything they've got.
On if this is when he thought Georgia would be
playing for a championship….
"I've repeatedly said the same thing, there is no schedule
for winning championships. Our job at the University of Georgia is to educate,
get degrees, make sure we make the student-athlete a better person, and to win
championships. So the objective is to get the most out of every team that we
can, and that's what we tell our coaching staff every week. Our job is to
prepare them to be the best they can in the game to get the most out of them.
At the end of the season, we look back and say did we get the most out of this
unit, this team, that we possibly could withstanding injuries, withstanding
circumstances that you can't control. That's what we'll do at the end of this
year and we'll do the same thing the following year.
But I think everybody wants to say that this is the schedule.
There is no schedule. The only thing there is is what you have and what you do
with what you have. So I'm going to leave it to you guys to decide what the
schedule is or what the term is, because that's what you guys do. That's not
really for us internally -- we want to do the best we can with what we've got,
and that's what we're trying to do this year."
On the difficulty for linebackers and corners to
avoid taking on blocks and going against an offense like
Auburn…
"Yeah, I don't know exactly what you're asking about there.
The fakes, I mean, they're very good at perimeter runs, and they also are very
good exposing your edges. A lot of that is based on the guys with the ball in
their hands. Eli Stove, he's an unbelievable, great athlete that runs rocket
sweeps really well. When you say every time Stove comes in motion, they run a
rocket sweep, no, they compliment that really well with the power run game
inside. So with those two combinations, you're having to defend two things all
the time. They've got a really good power run game. People think they don't.
I've played them for a long time, they do. They have physical players. They can
run gap plays, they can run zone plays and they can run on the perimeter. Then
when you add the dimension of a quarterback who can throw the ball and be
elusive enough to create with his feet, you hit the perfect storm. Right now
they're playing at a high level because they've got all those factors. So it's
important for us to keep our edges, but we can't give up movement at the same
time. When you start giving up movement on these guys, they'll crease you and
gas you and do a good job. And Kerryon (Johnson) is incredible at being here
one second and the next second he's out there on the perimeter and can bounce
out on you."
On disrupting Jarrett
Stidham's passing game to keep him from being as accurate as he's been
these last five games…
"Well, I think you've got to do things. You've got to mix
coverages. You've got to be able to get pressure. A lot of their passes
sometimes are seven-man protections. So everybody's screaming and yelling about
not getting pressure. When they're protecting with seven, unless you bring
eight, you're going to have trouble getting there. So they do a good job with
mixing up their protections. They do a good job of putting him in situations to
be successful and to be honest, he's a really good quarterback who, I think,
has gotten the greatest amount of improvement during the year of any player
that I've seen from early in the year, which we've got games we played early in
the year until now. I think he's got confidence in the system. He's gotten used
to the SEC. I think he's playing at a high level."
On the injuries of Trenton Thompson and
Christian Payne…
“We expect both of them to be fine. We haven't practiced
yesterday, so we don't really know. Trenton actually played in the game. He
came back in and played. He should be fine. Christian I'll know more on today.
On how the noise and environment at Auburn played
a factor in the outcome of the game…
"I actually thought that we handled that part pretty well
from an offensive standpoint of functioning, snap count, timing, that kind of
thing. The atmosphere in this weekend is going to be probably just as loud in a
lot of ways, because you could make a case that we'll have more fans there. But
from what we've been told, it's an extremely loud place. So crowd noise will
always be a factor when you play indoors. We'll prepare for that. I don't think
that the crowd noise there had an impact on the timing or any plays. Jake
(Fromm) did a good job handling that. I think their defense had a lot to do
with the struggles that we had because they've got a really good defensive
front."
On the development of the senior class…
"I think you're always developing. I mean, I think culture is
created, and culture is taught. The one thing we tried to do as an organization
since they got here is put them in situations -- whether it's meeting with
certain people that we bring in from outside organizations, meeting with
speakers, we try to put them in leadership positions. Throughout the summer, we
try to put them in leadership positions. The culture is created by what
situations you put them in and they grow in those situations. They learn. They
learn how to handle situations, and over the course of two years, they've
gotten better.
Now, were they good kids and good players when we got here?
Absolutely. This senior class is a good class. It's got some good players in
it. So I think that's important to have that foundation of talent, but you
develop the leaders. They develop their leadership qualities throughout their
course of being here. Each one of them has experienced things throughout their
time here that's made a better leader. I'm a firm believer that Sony Michel and Nick Chubb are the leaders they are because of the hard times they've
been through. I mean, each one of them has been out with significant injuries
during their career. That's helped them be a stronger leader. Same way with
Lorenzo Carter and Davin Bellamy, they've become leaders because Jordan
Jenkins was a good leader. Leonard Floyd was a good leader. We've had people
come in and meet with them and talk to them about the ways we want to lead. I
meet with them. We try to teach that and coach that so that they can be the
right person in the clutch, and it's not always perfect. But we certainly
aspire for them to be better men because they have played here."
On the dominance of the SEC West teams in the
SEC Championship in recent years and some characteristics he wanted the team to
have in terms of physical play…
"Yeah, I mean, the most physical team usually wins whatever
the game is. Doesn't matter if it's SEC East, West, crossover, championship,
physicality is the part of the game. Who controls the line of scrimmage? It
just so happens the teams from the West have controlled the line of scrimmage
more often than the teams from the east. So that's an objective in every game.
That probably won't ever change in the game of football. So, I mean, that's an
objective for this game, but it's not about East or West. It's about the game
of football.
On that status of Kerryon Johnson effecting
Georgia’s game plan…
"Well, I think you've got to be smart. You've got to
understand where a team's strengths and weaknesses are. They've got a lot of
strengths. They've got other backs that are good, probably not near as good as
Kerryon. But they've got quality backs and they're SEC backs. They've also got
ways of creating a running game that Gus has done outside of Kerryon. He does a
good job of sharing those carries. They've got a quarterback, who don't mistake
him for a runner, because he can run the ball when you least expect it. They
have several designed runs for him against Alabama. When you start running the
quarterback, it creates a really tough dynamic. So they've got other ways to
get carries. I fully expect him to play, and we'll have to deal with it either
way.
On the recruiting advantages and disadvantages
of playing in this game…
"I always believe there are a lot more advantages than
disadvantages because you can show what's on paper. The publicity you get and
just the amount of exposure you get from playing in this game, CBS, and
everybody in the country will be tuned in. There is no price tag you can put on
that. The only disadvantage is somebody sitting in your kid's home this week
and they're doing an in-home visit, and they're getting to sell their program
while you're preparing for a game. But most of the people that we're
recruiting, they understand that we can't be there right now, and they
recognize that we'll be there as soon as we can. That begins after this game.”
Senior Tailback Sony Michel
On the difference between championship week and
any other week…
“It feels the same. For the past three years that I’ve been here
this is one of our weeks off so it just feels like another game. It is another
week of preparation. But our guys are excited that we have another game and to
be on the big stage at the SEC Championship. At the end of the day though it is
just another game."
On changes to make in second go-around with
Auburn…
“We get another chance to prepare for this game. We have to try to
eliminate some our mistakes we made in the game and try to capitalize on
them."
On adjustments in the running game from the past
Auburn meeting…
“I think it is just the execution level. Everyone has to do their
job and be on the same page. That will help us be successful."
On preparation walk-thrus…
“Those walk-thrus are big. They are essential to this team. It
helps guys focus – not physically, but mentally. You have to lock-in.
It is tough for a college football team, because there are a lot of guys
that probably aren’t going to play that will be out there So everyone
just has to lock in and be on the same page. I think our team manages to handle
that well.”
On discipline…
“Discipline always has been one of our mottos. We have to follow
it, because Auburn is a team that capitalizes on mistakes. We have to stay
poised and do what we do. We can’t act out of character. We just need to go out
there and play our ball game."
Graduate Safety Aaron Davis
On moving on from the last Auburn game…
“You can’t get caught up in the results from last week or two
weeks ago. It will do you a disservice in terms of preparing for the next team.
If you get caught up on if it was a big win or a big loss last week then that
could deter your mind from the team that is in front of you.”
On mistakes to fix from previous Auburn loss…
“Discipline. They hit us with a couple reverses, outside leverage
type things as far as set and containing. For the defensive backs, we have to
crack and replace. I know I missed that a couple times when my man came in to
crack and I didn’t fill out on the outside to make sure the ball doesn’t get
out there. Being disciplined on both sides and communication. We can correct
those things and limit those big plays.”
On stadium atmospheres…
“Auburn is a tough place to play. They have the new big jumbo-tron
which keeps the fans up and rocking throughout the game. I remember playing in
the Georgia Dome for the North Carolina game so I know it is exciting. I’m sure
the Mercedes-Benz Stadium is going to just the same.”
On playing in the SEC Championship Game…
“The last time we have
been here was the year before I got here. We are used to having this week off,
but it is definitely exciting. It is what you work for. We’ve been working hard
the past 11 months to get to this point. All the guys are super eager to get
out there to put on our best performance.”
Junior WR Terry Godwin
On facing Auburn for a second time…
“It helps a lot. We know what kind of game it’s going to be, and
what they’re going to try to throw at us. We’re going to have to take this week
to prepare for. This game means a lot because I get to go out there and try to
prove myself for these seniors and send them out on top. To get revenge for
them. I hate for them to go out with a loss like this. For this team, I think
we kind of needed that to wake us up. For these seniors, we’re going to go out
there and put it all on the line.”
On the last time Georgia faced Auburn this
season…
“We went out there and didn’t play Georgia ball. We went away from
what we’ve been doing the whole season, and it showed on the scoreboard. That’s
not something we normally do, so we’re going to go out there and fix it this
week. Being more focused and being more disciplined. Not causing the
self-inflicted wounds or the self-inflicted penalties. Just being the Georgia
team, being clean and physical.”
On if the pass game should be utilized more…
“If that’s what the coaches want to do, that’s what we’re going to
do."
Senior OLB Lorenzo Carter
On what linebacker D’Andre Walker brings to the
defense…
“D’Andre is energetic. He brings a lot of energy to the games.
He’s a playmaker. So, we plan on having him in there to make some plays and
keep the momentum in our favor.”
On the last time Georgia faced Auburn this
season…
“It was tough, because they were winning, so there’s not that much
you can say when somebody’s beating you. It’s just another chance. There’s not
many chances when you get a chance to redeem yourself, and I feel like we have
to go out there and be ready to redeem ourselves on Saturday.”
On learning of Georgia's opponent in the
championship…
“It was excitement. It was a lot of excitement just realizing we
get a chance to play in the championship in Mercedes-Benz Stadium. It really
didn’t matter who we played, but getting the chance to play Auburn again, it
was big, because they’re the one blemish on our record.”
On coming back for his senior season…
"We came back, the seniors came back, and we really wanted
the chance to play for a championship, and now everything’s on the table. We
know what we have to do, but we’ve got to keep working and keep
grinding.”
On facing a team twice in one season…
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