The Dawgs
continued preparations for their upcoming Southeastern Conference contest with
Kentucky by conducting a two-hour workout Tuesday.
The following are comments
from Georgia head coach Kirby Smart after Tuesday’s practice as he said the
players displayed really good enthusiasm and were competitive as they get ready
for a physical game with the Kentucky Wildcats.
How much does quarterback
Stephen Jackson factor in to what Kentucky likes to do offensively?
“He’s a major factor. He can
pull the ball and run at any time. I think he makes really good decisions on
when to pull the ball. They are not all designed runs; they just give him the
option to pull it. He’s improved immensely from the time he’s got there as a
passer. He’s a much better passer this year. They’ve got a really good scheme.
I think Eddie Gran (offensive coordinator) does a really good job.”
Were you happy with the
tackling in practice today after saying you weren’t happy with it last Tuesday?
“I think I mentioned I
haven’t been happy with the tackling the entire time. I think to be a physical
football team, you have to practice physical and hit people and thud and wrap
up. We’ve got pretty good backs. There’s not been a day that I’ve been really
happy with our tackling. There’s been some games that I’ve been more pleased
than others but not practice. We have to continue to work on it and players
have to hold each other accountable.”
What adjustments can you
make with the defensive front or is it as simple as getting back out there and
just trying to be more physical than the other team?
“A big thing is going to play
the next game. You got to strike, work on technique. You have to go back to
work and that’s what we’re doing and continue to work on getting off blocks.
Every football game comes down to blocking and tackling because we all got
plays. Who is going to block and tackle better?”
How has Mecole Hardman
done going from defense to receiver plus serving as a boost in handling kicks
and punts too?
“He has been a great boost.
As far as what he can handle. I know there are a lot of college football
players who are the returners for punts and kickoffs. That’s not a concern. He
usually runs 8,000 yards at track practice, and we’re just asking him to run
about four or five hundred in a game. I think he can handle the workload, and
the ball is not real heavy so he can carry it and he’s doing pretty good.”
After a game where you
struggle on offense, do coaches have to fight against trying to reinvent the
wheel or do you keep doing what you’ve been doing?
“You’re always trying to
reinvent the wheel. You look for new ideas, new plays but you can’t throw
everything away and start anew. You got certain plays you run and you’ve run
them since camp. You try to window-dress them some different ways. You try to
execute better, protect better, give the quarterback a chance, maybe give him
some easier throws but you’re not trying to change everything.”
The SEC is always very
competitive and what does it say about your team that it has a chance to go
undefeated against the East Saturday?
“Our goal is to win every
game. That’s the next step. These seniors have an opportunity to do something
that no Georgia team has ever done and that’s beat every team in the East, and
that’s the goal, the goal to send them out on top at Sanford Stadium.”
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