Wednesday, September 30, 2020

Wednesday Press Conference

UGA Sports Communications

Coach Kirby Smart

Opening Statement

"This is a big game at home. We are excited about College Gameday being here and a top-10 matchup- which is what the SEC is all about. You have an opportunity to play a great program at Auburn. Gus Malzahn and them have done a tremendous job—always have. Their kids play with tremendous toughness, very physical team. Every time we play them, although it's usually later in the year, it's extremely physical."

On keeping D'Wan Mathis' mentally focused this season and an update on JT Daniels...

"Well, with the D'Wan Mathis question, he is working. He's continuing to work. He's getting better. He's growing as a player. He has learned from some of his mistakes, and we're trying to get the players around him to play better too so that allows him to have success. Really the same thing with JT [Daniels], he's continuing to work. He's doing a great job—glad he's cleared because he is able to play now. We're excited to see him and see what he does."

On the deep rotation in the backfield...

"It just depends on how far it needs to go based on injury and things like that. We have five guys we feel comfortable with. Good thing is the young guys have gotten a lot of reps with some of the other guys—Kenny McIntosh was dinged up in camp. We were able to get Kendall Milton and Daijun Edwards on a lot more reps because of that. I have a lot of confidence in all five of those guys. They do a good job and work each day. Not to say we are going to play five every game, but I have confidence in all five."

On addressing the team about the differences of this season and gameday with COVID-19 protocol...

"We addressed all of that earlier in the year and that's been the mantra the whole time. We've played scrimmages with nobody in there and with parents in there, one time with donors in there. Anything in the stadium is more than what we've had for our game-like scrimmages. The psyche part of that is what we have already addressed that."

On how valuable Jake Camarda is for the team...

"Jake Camarda has done a tremendous job. He's worked really hard. That was one of his goals for the year is to obviously pin some more people inside the 10 yard line. He was able to do that with some help from some really good gunner play."

On Jamaree Salyer at right tackle and update on Tommy Bush...

"Jamaree Salyer has done a good job. I thought he helped lead the group. He's got a little more experience than those other guys. He is still relatively new to the position. He has worked really hard at it. He is going to be challenged more and more as the level of competition goes up. We know that's one of the toughest places to play in the SEC. Hey look, there's nobody perfect over there. We just lost two first-rounders at each edge, and you realize that it is a tough league to play in when it comes to that. He really plays hard. He's really conscientious about it. He goes against really good pass rushers every day in practice. He is continuing to get better, and that is what we need to build around at the quarterback position is a lot of guys that are each individually getting better. As far as Tommy Bush, he is working with us and doing a good job. He's closer to healthy, and we are hopeful that he can help us."

On the growth and value of Dell McGee's responsibilities over his time at Georgia...

"He has been a tremendous asset for us. He is one of the guys that has been here from the original start. That's always important. When you sell values of your organization and what you believe in—it really helps when you've got guys that have built the continuity of being here. He's been that. He's been a rock. He's been here a long time, and he knows how we like to do things as an organization. He's been a big part of that. He helps me tremendously. He's a great guy. He is probably one of the first guys I go ask questions to in terms of making decisions because he is very experienced."

On when players go back to their home state and play a game and if there are any factors that contribute to a player's mindset...

"I would think so. I think it's that way all the time. It's that way in coaching and it's that way—when you're coaching against maybe a school you went to or that you played at—I've always said that. I thought that that was a factor in some of our games last year. Certainly, that is the case. It doesn't necessarily mean that we didn't want them. We wanted a lot of those guys and got beat on! It's a matter that you play with a chip on your shoulder because it's your home state and you probably have more family at the game. Sometimes, not always in Auburn's case, you have kids that are closer to Athens than necessarily Auburn, that's not always the case with them. Yeah, I think it's certainly that way. It would be no different with the kids we have on our roster from the state of Alabama."

On how experience plays a part in the growth of a player and how that has helped Bo Nix...

"You can't put a price tag on experience. I don't think there's—I saw that with Jake Fromm. The first year you saw these simple mistakes then the next year it was like, 'I know the down of distance better. I know where the yard marker is. I know I am in field goal range—don't take a sack. I know where I am going with the ball. I have seen this defense now eight times, I know exactly what to do with the ball.' It's one of those deals that with experience you make better decisions. It's very obvious that [Bo Nix's] learning curve is really fast in terms of being able to understand his offense, how you use it. He made some decisions in the last game that last year he wouldn't have made that decision that fast. What happens when you make that decision a split-second sooner, it gets that wideout and extra yard to run after the catch. That it is also a big play instead of a catch and a tackle. He's done a tremendous job, and he is a really good football player."

On not losing confidence as a young player...

"I don't think you can, not lose confidence. Realistically it affects you. Emotionally, it affects you. With the kids we deal with nowadays they live in the outside world. They have to learn to tune it out at a young age. That is really hard to do. We support them internally. We communicate with them. We build strong relationships. We use the players on the team, the leaders on the team, to continue to develop and grow him so he can do it. You can't but a band-aid on it. It's something you have to try and use to learn from."

Kearis Jackson, Redshirt Sophomore, Wide Receiver

On his play as a punt returner…

"I love special teams, especially punt return. I specialize myself there and build my game on special teams and being back there at punt return is a blessing. It's something I used to do in high school just knowing that every time I touch the ball I'm trying to score. That's the goal every time we get on punt return is to get into the end zone. Having the guys up front, those guys are important with their blocks and making sure I'm safe back there catching the punt. They do a great job of that but there is still room for improvement."

On how the quarterbacks have prepared this week…

"Everybody is getting reps right now. We have Auburn this week, a big top-ten matchup. We have to come out every day like we've doing and just keep attacking it. Treating every practice like it's a game, making sure that we keep working hard. We can't slip up because each week we're trying to go 1-0. We just have to execute our game plan and play hard for all four quarters."

On how the route running has been this season…

"We've just been making sure that we know the details in the routes. Making sure we get the right depth. Every route, every concept we have it has to be ran a certain way. We've been doing a great job in the off-season up to this point making sure we're doing the small details right. Making sure we're in the right place at the right time.

Justin Shaffer, Senior, Offensive Lineman

On what the offensive line has been doing to prepare after Arkansas…

"Coach Matt Luke is doing a great job rotating everyone in and out. I just felt we needed to get on one page. This week we practiced staying on the same page, everybody staying on the ball, husting to the ball. Just doing the right things. We just couldn't get into a groove that we needed to give us that push."

On getting back in shape for this season…

"It was challenging, but quarantine helped me a lot. I went down to train in Miami and was working out because I had a chip on my shoulder. I knew I had to get back into that starting five."

On him playing his senior season after his various injuries…

"The only thing that was going through my mind was playing and getting back. When Dr. Ron Courson told me everything was going to be okay, I did rehab and did what I had to do."

On Auburn's D-Line...

"They play hard and they look good on film. They're in shape and they're going to go on every play, so we have to come out with our 'A' game."

Tuesday, September 29, 2020

Tuesday Press Conference

UGA Sports Communications

Coach Kirby Smart

On how he felt with Jack Podlesny as kicker going into the first game against Arkansas and how he got the starting job…

"I thought he did a tremendous job. He had a lot of composure. Trust me, it was not easy for him to win that job. There were a lot more intense battles throughout our 26-26 practices for him to get to that point. He’s done a great job. The best thing about him is he’s improved. Rodrigo Blankenship was here and he was kicking with Coach Scott Fountain and those guys and working each day and didn’t really stand out, and he stood out this year. He’s done a great job. He’s really been impressive with his kick-offs. He kind of won that job first in camp, and then he continued to battle at field goals with Jared Zerkel and Jake Camarta, and he ended up winning the job. He’s a great young man. He does a great job. I know his high school coach Rocky Hidalgo really well, and he bragged on him all the time. Rocky Hidalgo told me how good he was, and Jack came to us, walked on, and he’s done a great job so far."

On the performance of UGA’s defensive line and how much freshmen Jalen Carter and Warren Ericson have helped bolster the rotations…

"They’ve both done a good job. They’re a work in progress. Like most freshmen, they’ve had some mistakes. They were able to go in and play and the kid who didn’t get to make the trip based on sheer numbers but is playing really well. The one thing I’ve learned is how much better kids get during the season by going to the scout team. Warren Ericson goes down there, Jalen Carter goes down there, Naz [Nazir Stackhouse] goes down there. Naz has gotten reps in and is getting so much better by going against Trey Hill and Justin Shaffer every day. They just get so much work, and it makes you realize how much faster you can get better. Those guys have helped bolster the rotation for sure."

On the center and right tackle positions and the players he is considering for those positions…

"Those battles will continue all year, to be honest with you. If we didn’t think they’re the best players, they probably wouldn’t have been there in the first place. So there’s 25 plays, 25 practices that are a body of work, and I think a lot of times people think you’re going to magically fix it with a change. You’ve got to get your players to play better, and where you’ve got an opportunity to make a change or you’ve got a competitive battle, you certainly have to use it that way. Warren McClendon and Owen Condon continue to work at right tackle. They both played in the game, and that was really the first real game action—and when I say real, I mean Warren McClendon got to play some in the past, but Owen and Warren really got in their first game action. They’re going to grow and get better, and then Trey Hill as always been a rotating guard for us. He has been every year he’s been here, and we have Warren. You have to have two to three centers every game because that’s a situation that you could get in trouble. So, we’ve got three guys we travel— Warren Ericson and Trey Hill; all rotating guards. We feel good about those rotations we have. I thought those guys pass-probed pretty well. We didn’t get the holes we wanted in the run game, but some of that has to do with a lot of other things."

On how close Clay Webb is to jumping in the battle at center guard...

"Clay isn’t playing any center. Clay hasn’t played any center for us, but he’s in the battle. He’s been battling ankle injuries, and unfortunately he’s had an ankle injury. That’s why he wasn’t able to make the trip to Arkansas."

On the body of work of his team/players and how he decides and balances decisions going forward, particularly concerning D’Wan Mathis at QB…

"Again, that’s why I wasn’t tremendously upset after the game [against Arkansas], because I’ve seen the body of work. When you’re sitting there with 25 practices under your belt, you’ve seen some practices that probably looked something like what we saw out there [against Arkansas]. I’ve seen some things that I didn’t, and they go against a pretty good defense every day, whether it’s our ones or twos. We’ve had days that were like that where we’re one play away, one penalty, one thing, so I don’t get overly emotional about it. I try to say, ‘Look— we have to get better at what we have to do.’ I look at the scrimmages as games, and we had three of those, and we’ve had one game. That’s the body of work you try to go by, and the practices you go by, and you try to make the best decisions for your team and your organization off of it."

On the status of Tre’ McKitty and the performances of all his tight ends so far this season...

"Tre’ was able to practice a little bit Monday. He did some light work [but] didn’t get to do a lot of stuff, then today he increased that a little more. So, he’s coming along nicely. He’s got a chance to play. It’s one of those deals that you’d like to him to get some really good live action before he goes out there in the game, but I don’t know if we’re going to get the chance to do that. He has certainly improved and is getting in better shape. The tight ends group has worked really hard. Coach Todd Hartley has done a good job with them."

On his thoughts on John FitzPatrick’s performance against Arkansas last Saturday…

“That group has worked really hard. Coach Todd Hartley has done a good job with them. FitzPatrick has had a really good camp. He got dinged up in one of the scrimmages and missed a little time, so it’s almost like he was just getting back when we got ready for this game week. If he had had the entire camp he would be even further along. But what’s happened with Fitz being out a little and Tre’ McKitty out a little is Darnell Washington has gotten a ton of work and so has Brett Seither. Those guys are getting a lot of reps.”

On his response to Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn’s comment that UGA is the most talented team in the SEC…

“If you ask somebody the week of the game—the team they are playing will have the most talent in the league. Then the next week, that team will have the most talent, then the next week that team will have the most talent. That’s called coach speak. So, thanks Gus Malzahn. He has the most talent in the SEC, himself.”

On the performances of Nolan Smith and other outside linebackers...

“They all have roles. They all have different strengths, and they feed off of each other. They are a fun group to coach. Coach Dan Lanning does a great job. They are very prideful in their performance, and that’s the way it should be within your unit. We try to find more ways to use them in our defense and be creative about creating roles for them that cause problems for the offense. I am very pleased with those guys. Nolan Smith is fun to coach. He is full of spirit. He has never had a bad day. He is fired up out there on the practice field. He is one of those guys you just like to coach. He texted me the other night and said, ‘Can I go to the scout team? I am not getting enough reps. I am having to rotate among three guys. I want more reps. Can I go get more reps on scout team?’ That is just the kind of kid he is.”

On how much worry he has about Auburn’s receiving core…

“Well, they have the most talent in the SEC, so I am very concerned when it comes to their receiving core and their talent-level. It always worries me when you play Auburn. They’ve got great players. They have a quarterback that can get the ball to those guys. Chad Morris is doing an unbelievable job of moving guys around and putting them in spots they are not normally in. Their skill level at receiver is really good.”

On his thoughts on the Georgia-Auburn rivalry…

“I’m probably not versed in history as well as I should be. I say this with much respect, I grew up a high school football fan. I did not know a lot about college football. I grew up going up on Saturday to watch the [junior varsity] team play and washed the uniforms. My games were always on Friday nights, and those were my heroes. I didn’t get to really watch the long-time, early-80s—I didn’t really start paying attention to Georgia-Auburn until I got to Georgia. Probably in high school is when I started really noticing the game because I had friends at Auburn, and I had friends at Georgia. But, I obviously played in some really classic battles—the first ever overtime game, I guess in the SEC—maybe in college football. I was a part of that one. I was a part of heart-breaking losses to them, and some big wins.”

On what he expects this weekend to look like from a recruiting perspective for his staff…

“There is none. Everybody is trying to celebrate recruits virtually, and that is about all you can do. They can’t come. There is not a lot we can do. We can try to generate an awesome atmosphere with our fans, make social media videos, FaceTime guys when we can—there’s just not a lot we can do. Maybe there’s somebody doing something better than us. We can’t fill up the stands, and that’s the best way to impress them. Probably the next best way is to play well, and that’s what we need to do.”

On the progress of JT Daniels…

“He’s an extremely bright kid. He’s delightful to be around, very intellectual. He asks a lot of questions. He digs deep into the game. The game is really important to him. He is fun to be around. He gets the ball out really quick. He’s got a quick release and great arm-talent. He’s doing a good job. He’s out there working. For us, it’s not really different than it was before. He was practicing before. He’s just practicing more now.”

On the decision to travel JT Daniels to Arkansas last Saturday…

“The hopes that he would be cleared.”

Azeez Ojulari, Redshirt Sophomore, Linebacker 

On his experience with the Georgia-Auburn rivalry…

“I definitely watched a couple of games. Came here as a recruit actually to some of the games too. The SEC Championship [2017], that was a big one for sure. It’s always been a good rivalry.”

On whether not seeing his name on any pre-season awards lists gives him motivation…

“I really don’t look at those, but you could say it’s motivation to just keep going hard and motivate myself to keep proving everybody wrong.”

On what he has seen from Nolan Smith…

“Nolan just comes out here and works hard every day. He’s relentless in his pursuit. He just works on different moves and continues to get better.”

Nate McBride, Senior, Linebacker 

On getting in at linebacker against Arkansas and how he feels he has improved since last season…

“I had fun going into the Arkansas game. It’s always fun getting in on defense, made two tackles. Coming from last season, my weight has dropped a little bit. I don’t think it’s a huge deal. I’m still fast, still physical. That’s how I was raised up and how the coaches teach us here. I would say from last year to this year, I think that mentally I am more prepared for the game or more prepared for practice. I think things are a little bit easier to see and I think that comes with maturity of the game and getting reps. I think that’s the biggest thing I’ve seen in myself from last year to this year.”

On his decision to stay at Georgia…

“I love it here. I love the guys here. The coaches are awesome. I believe they’re the best coaches in the conference and in the Nation. Who better to learn from? I also look past football because I know football doesn’t last forever and the connections here that I would get, the networking that I would get would set me up for a great job afterwards and the education here is really good. So that’s the biggest reason I’ve stayed besides being who I’m with.”

On what special teams have been like with the addition of Coach Scott Cochran…

“Since Coach Scott Cochran has gotten here, special teams have always been a huge deal to Coach Kirby Smart. Having Coach Cochran here and then Coach Todd Hartley as well doing the special teams. They bring that juice every day. That makes us want to get better at special teams because special teams is also a very big avenue that can lead you to the pros. You might not start on offense or defense but if you can get into the league and you can play on special teams, that’s $600,000 a year. That sounds pretty nice.”

Camarda Named SEC Special Teams Player Of The Week

UGA Sports Communications

Georgia junior punter Jake Camarda has been named the Southeastern Conference Special Teams Player of the Week, according to a league announcement.

This marks the second career SEC weekly honor for Camarda. He was also awarded the accolade following the win over No. 12 Auburn in 2019.

Camarda, a native of Norcross, punted seven times for an average of 49.9 yards (second nationally) and for a 47.0 net (fourth nationally) during the Dawgs’ 37-10 win at Arkansas. He dropped five of those balls at the 11-yard line or better and had a long of 63 yards. Camarda finished with four punts of 50 yards or longer and forced three fair catches during his performance.

The No. 4 Dawgs (1-0 SEC) play host to No. 7 Auburn (1-0 SEC) on Saturday. ESPN will televise the matchup at 7:30 p.m.

Monday, September 28, 2020

Monday Press Conference

UGA Sports Communications

Coach Kirby Smart

Opening statement …

“I am excited to be here. We have a big game this week. This is one of the most traditional rivalries in all of college football. I think any time you talk about Georgia-Auburn, you talk about rivalry. They’ve got a lot of kids from our state. They recruit our state hard. There are a lot of ties between the two universities — always has been. It’s been a big game. I never remember it being game two, that’s for sure, so that is very unique in that we will be playing them pretty early. I have a lot of respect for their coordinators — Coach Kevin Steele, Chad Morris — both really good. I think what Chad has done for their offense really shows on tape. The ability to use their skill and get their skill players the ball from different locations. You can see it showing up already, and they’ve done a great job of that.

“I’ve got a lot of respect for Gus Malzahn and the organization he has put together. They have recruited well, they have really good players, top-10 team in the country, so it should be a great ball game, great atmosphere. I certainly wish we could have 93,000 there, but we won’t be able to do that, so we will do the best we can with the crowd we’ve got, and we will need them to be loud. I thought that Arkansas’ group was good and loud last week, and the atmosphere will be really good for that this week as well. So, we are excited for that.

“I know you guys will want to ask the quarterback question, and you will want to ask it all week. All I can tell you is that we are going to continue to work with all the guys we’ve got to put the best guy in there to give us the best opportunity to win the football games. D’Wan Mathis did not play as bad as it seemed to some. I thought he did some good things watching the tape, and he had some unfortunate bad breaks that happened while he was in a quarterback. JT Daniels will be cleared, but I don’t know how much that changes the picture in terms of reps and development. We will be looking at everybody across the board. JT has got to be able to show us that he can function efficiently and do it with his knee being able to do it. We always thought he would be cleared by this time anyway, but those guys will all compete as well as Carson Beck will too and will continue to grow at the quarterback position. With that, I’ll open it up.”

On what hurdles JT Daniels had to overcome medically and the performance of Stetson Bennett …

“Well, Ron Courson would have to explain that in depth. You are looking for percentage, strength index, biodex, testing, girth, his knee being closer to the same size as the other one. They do a single-leg hop test, they measure his ability to move around on that knee compared to his other knee, and they have been looking for certain barometers to be able to hit that number, and he was able to do that. That’s very fortunate for him, but he still has to be able to go out there and prove to us that he can do it in the game-like situations and the practice-like situations. That’s not easy to do during the week at times.

“I thought Stetson did a good job when he came in. He has played a lot of football. He had good composure, he handled the pocket well, he handled the protections well. Stetson has seen a lot of football in his time. The stuff he sees from our defense day-in and day-out, taking all the reps last year. He was very calm and poised. And D’Wan did a lot of good things, guys. It’s not his fault a play got called back for holding. It’s not his fault a guy missed a pick up on third down — and he almost turned that into a first down. He did a lot of good things early on there, and we just never could put good things back to back. Every drive he had came to a stop for some reason or another.”

On D’Wan Mathis taking a big hit and if that dinged him up a little …

“No. Actually it was the opposite. He was fired up. He was pumped. He loves the game, he loves the competitive nature. He doesn’t believe in getting down. He likes contact. I thought that was one of the highlights that he took that hit and that he kept going. I think what got me a little bit was the awareness the next time. He missed the yard marker the next time on third down when he had an opportunity to scramble for it and get the third down. That happens with a young quarterback. I remember a big game where Jake Fromm took off running on a third down and he slid before the first down on third down, and I was so upset with him. But a lot of guys they don’t have the awareness to know exactly where that is on the sideline, and he just missed it. It had nothing to do with the hit he took earlier. As a matter of fact, he was pumped about the hit. He’s been waiting two years to get hit, so he felt relieved.”

On the evaluation of the running backs after game one…

“It’s a combination of both the running backs and blocking. I thought there were a couple things. The first thing, to have a great run you have to have good box counts, you have to get hat on a hat, you have to make people miss. I think all of our backs have the ability to make people miss, but they have to do it at a higher level. We have to block much better on the second level on terms of our receivers, cut off blocking and turning a couple 10/12 yard runs into bigger runs. There were some missed opportunities there and we have to move up front a little better. At the end of the day, that’s what it takes to be able to run the ball. When you look across our league, I think you’ll see- you show me a team that’s running the ball really, really well and efficiently and it’s hard to do in our league. You have to be able to throw and catch the ball and you have to be able to score points. Historically, we’ve been able to run the ball at a good rate, compared to a lot of people in our league and we didn’t do that Saturday. There were some holes, some things there that backs didn’t necessarily miss. Sometimes the snap was bad. And if you have a bad snap and it gets you off direction, you can’t have that. It takes a cumulative effect of everybody doing their job, and if one guy is off — one receiver doesn’t cut off a safety and he turns what would be a 20-yard gain in to a five-yard gain. If the snap is off, you go back and look, there were a couple times the snap was just off key and it brings the quarterback off line and then it brings the running back off line. We have to do a better job blocking and running the ball. I do think we have some people to do that with.”

On if any injuries occurred during the game and the status of senior outside linebacker Walter Grant…

“As far as the injuries go, nobody is substantially injured. There are some bumps and bruises, really the same ones we had going into the game. Jermaine Johnson dinged his shoulder, I think he had to go out of the game for little bit, but he came back in and played and we think he’ll be fine. Kearis Jackson got dinged up on the hit there when he got hit pretty good but he stayed in for a couple more plays and came back. We don’t have anybody that we think is out. In terms of Walter Grant, when we feel like he can contribute and help us out, he’ll be able to. He has to be able to help us out in all of the phases of the game to be able to play.”

On changing the expectations at Georgia so that a 27-point win doesn’t feel like it sometimes…

“I don’t know. I don’t really get into that. I just look at the performance. The expectation of fan base, the expectation of you guys (media), is not what I’m trying to please. I am trying to please these young men and I want them to be at their best. I want to do the best job for them as a staff. I want to put them in the best chance to be successful. That’s, to me, what we’re measured on- do we get the most out of these kids that we can and do we grow them? I’m really not into the perception or the outside world, what they think because it probably doesn’t matter at the end of the day. I’m worried about getting our team better. It’s never as good as it seems and it’s never as bad as it seems. And that was 100 percent evident watching that tape. The defense wasn’t as good as it seemed and the offense was not as bad as it seemed. We have to do a good job at doing better. That’s the only thing that matters.”

On the Auburn game being played earlier in the season, regardless of the pandemic…

“My support or disgruntle of it doesn’t matter. It is what it is. I don’t really care when we play who we play, it’s who we play that I care about. We have Auburn this week. I’m excited because I think they have a really good football team. Two months ago, three months ago, we didn’t even know if we were going to have this game, so I am certainly excited that we are and that our kids get the opportunity to play in an electric environment.“

On the importance of locking down the starting quarterback position…

“It’s a lot more important how we play around him and how we support him because whoever’s able to do that the best and get the most of the people around them is going to be the guy who moves the ball and produces. At the end of the day, that’s what we want to do. If that’s one guy, two guys, we’re not putting ourselves in a pigeonhole, saying, ‘We can only have one quarterback.’ We’ve got to develop all of our quarterbacks. I know you all are looking at it in terms of Auburn, right now, who’s going to play, who’s the quarterback. We’re trying to look at our entire roster and say, ‘How are we going to be the best we can be in week two, three, four, five, six, down the line.’ There are some guys on our team that are going to be better down the line than maybe the guy in front of them, but the only way they’re going to get there is through playing, so there’s a big part of making that decision that goes into that. I’m not going to sit here and say we can’t play multiple guys, or it’s got to be one guy. I certainly think it’s easier when it’s one guy, in terms of continuity with your team and things like that. We’ve got to do what gives us the best chance to win. That’s what we’ll continue to do as coaches.”

On the difficulty of evaluating quarterbacks during a game week…

“I didn’t say we would juggle the game reps. I’m not ready to say we’re going to do that. We’re going to get the guys prepared. It gives us the best chance to win. There’s a lot of reps out there when you have ones, twos, and threes, and you’re able to get a lot of work. We’re going to get work, but we’re not going to have juggling if you don’t have enough reps to get guys in there with the ones and get reps. The reps they get development-wise will come with the twos and threes.”

On Auburn quarterback Bo Nix…

“He’s got a vertical passing game. He’s got a great arm. He makes really good decisions. I think the dink-and-dunk is the decision making he has, and it gives him the opportunity to not throw picks. Quarterbacks avoid picks because they don’t throw into situations that are adverse. He’s got a really good set of receivers when you talk about experience in the SEC with the guys they got at wideout. Those guys seem like they’ve been playing there forever. Seth’s Williams one of the best there is, Eli Stove’s been there forever, and we know how fast Anthony Schwartz is. They’ve got a lot of good wideouts, in terms of their skill set on offense. He’s got guys to protect him around it. He’s a coach’s son, has been around the game his whole life. He knows good decisions, and he’s a really good athlete. People don’t understand how good of a runner he is.”

On the center position…

“Offensive line is not a limelight position, but everybody writes a story about D’Wan and Stetson and don’t talk about the line very often. That’s been going on all camp. That’s not something we haven’t done. We think Trey Hill gives us a lot of flexibility at guard. We think Warren Ericson gives us flexibility at center, and the ability to play guard which you saw in the bowl game. He provides Trey some conditioning relief when you’re in a COVID year and you’re not quite in as good of shape as you normally are. Trey plays a really good guard. In a lot of ways, Trey can play guard and create more power than Warren can, in terms of strength and body weight. So, he’s able to relieve Ben Cleveland and Justin Shaffer, and give them a blow and not have a drop off at center. We’ll continue to work that route and play the guys that give us the best chance to win.”

On Richard LeCounte encouraging him to get Stetson Bennett…

“First of all, we didn’t sign Stetson initially. He was a walk-on. I never heard that story. I don’t remember that coming up. We watched Stetson a lot and thought a lot of him, and he had scholarship offers. He was what we call a ‘recruited walk-on.’ We recruited him and brought him on an official visit, and we wanted Stetson to come here and develop. He did a really good job that freshman year. He didn’t get a lot of competitive reps. He got scout team reps and did a great job. Maybe Richard’s taking credit for that, I don’t know, but I never remember Richard telling me to go after Stetson. It was more of Stetson was a really good football player that we wanted to join our team. He was a great academic student, so we knew he’d be able to get into Georgia. He did an awesome job while he was here. He just didn’t think in the spring with Justin Fields and Jake Fromm that he was going to get the opportunity he needed. That’s when he decided to go to Mississippi.”

On his opinion on the special teams performance against Arkansas...

“I will be honest with you, I wasn’t exactly ecstatic about the special teams. I thought we missed some opportunities there. We left some things out there that were there. We didn’t handle a couple situations well. We had to burn a timeout. I was not pleased with that. Now statistically, you can look at it and say, ‘Well, you are crazy because you did this, this, this.’ We have an experienced punter who punted the ball well, and some really competitive gunners that we worked all offseason on being a better ‘pin the team inside the 10.’ Those reps showed. We were very fortunate to have those reps show. The return game, I thought we left some out there. If we block a little better or maybe we return a little better we would score a touchdown on that. With a young offense, you’ve got to ignite it through special teams. We work really hard on that. We take a lot of pride in that. We were probably a little ahead of Arkansas in terms of the level of skill players that have out there. They are still in the process of recruiting guys and getting guys out there. We were probably better than them. But, if you look at Auburn—which I have all morning and afternoon yesterday—they have all their starters, all of their best players on special teams. It’s going to be a competitive war on special teams because they have really good special teams players.”

On the takeaways from watching film of the defense and the ways they can improve...

“Good question. The biggest thing is we had some mental-busts that they didn’t expose us on. Things that if you are sitting there and watching you are going, ‘Okay we didn’t do that right. We didn’t handle that well.’ Someone with better players will be able to expose us—mistakes that were made, communication errors. One side is playing one thing and the other side is playing another—we were not on the same page. Typically, those are early in the season mistakes, and they are one play away from [it] being a big play, which we saw the explosive play that happened. There certainly could have been more of those if guys were on the same page. It’s easy to highlight that. The great thing about this defense is they will listen to you. We tell them. We tell them, honestly. We say, ‘Hey, this guy is really good player, this guy is not a good player.’ When you are honest with players and you go in and tell them, ‘Hey this is not right and this right. This is doing it wrong. This is doing it right.’ They listen to you. I know a lot of people think because of the pick-six and the safety that it was all great—a lot was missed there. A lot of opportunities where we ended up one-on-one and if that one guy breaks a tackle—it’s a touchdown. We need two people there. We need three people there.”

On George Pickens’ performance against Arkansas and his coaching strategy this week based on Pickens’ past performance versus Auburn...

“No, I think we went through that last year. George Pickens is competitive by nature. He is a fiery-spirit guy. He has to play with composure. We talk about that with all of our players, not just George. It’s got to be the same this week. It can’t just mean more because it’s Auburn—it has to mean more because it’s the next game. I thought he played well in the game. He knows what he’s got to work on and continue to get better at. We point that out to him each day.”

On his evaluation of the tight ends’ performance against Arkansas and Tre’ McKitty’s status...

“I thought Darnell Washington did a good job for having the first-game jitters. He handled his assignments well. He’s got to continue to condition and get in better shape—be more of a physical presence in the blocking game. But, he’s a kid that is coming along really well. As far as Tre’ McKitty, I will be able to tell you a lot more after today’s practice. I can’t say a lot right now because we haven’t seen him yet.”

Tyson Campbell, Junior, Defensive Back 

On the difference between last season and this season in terms of his recovery from a foot injury...

“Last year is behind me. I am just focusing on this year. I am excited for what this team is going to do this year, and I am pumped up. I am more confident. I feel healthy. I feel faster, feel stronger. I just feel like a better player in general.”

On the motivation and mood in the huddle after giving up a 91-yard drive by Arkansas...

“There are going to be ebbs and flows in a game. That was one of Arkansas’ positive plays in the game. We had to go back to the sideline and see what we did wrong and move on to the next drive and make a stop in their next drive.”

On the long pass Campbell batted away and whether the coaches expressed to him whether he played that the right way…

“I was confident with how the ball was released and how I got on the receiver, and I knew I had Richard LeCounte inside and knew where my help was, so I felt like I was in good position to play the ball. I felt like I didn’t have to do too much to get inside because I was already on top of the receiver, so I just played the ball in the air and deflecting it was the best way."

Jake Camarda, Junior, Punter

On if there is anything he can take from the game of golf and apply to punting…

“Absolutely. Golf takes a lot of patience sometimes. Golf and punting, they come together really well. When you hit a bad punt, you have to go back out there and hit a good punt the next time you’re out there. You have to let that bad shot get out of your head. Same as golf. If I hit a really bad shot off of a par-3, I’m thinking ‘I have to get up and down right here. That next shot has to be good.’ If I hit a really bad drive off the tee, I can’t let that carry on to the next par-5. I have to have a good drive on the par-5 to at least have a shot at getting to the green.”

On what he has seen from Jack Podlesny…

“Jack is a great kicker. He came through camp and kicked the ball really, really well. Jack deserves that spot and he deserves to be out there kicking right now. So I’m happy for Jack. He’s done a great job so far for our team and I think he’s going to continue to do a great job for our team.”

On what kind of emotions punters have after a punt…

“When we get our gunners down there and our gunners do a really great job for us. When they get down there and we’re able to down a kick. I guess punters emotions are just, for me, I’m like, good job. That’s a good team effort right there. Solid. That’s kind of what we needed and that’s going to be good for our defense. I guess that’s where my emotions would be.”

John FitzPatrick, Redshirt Sophomore, Tight End

On Darnell Washington and the touchdown…

Darnell Washington played an awesome game. It has been a blast playing alongside him. As far as the touchdown, Coach Todd Monken dialed up a great play. We talked at halftime, and if we got a certain look, he was going to hit it on me, and he did. I just dove for the end zone, and it was an indescribable feeling. It was an awesome moment.”

On Stetson Bennett coming into the game…

“Before Stetson Bennett came in, there were mistakes made by other position groups, including the tight ends. That goes back to what we need to work on in practice. It began to click, and we did well, but it starts with other position groups needing to pick up missed assignments.”

On the offense in general and anything that made him believe it was going to be sloppy…

“You can’t always expect things to go 100 percent your way. You always want to achieve perfection in all that you do, but that’s not practical. Things are going to happen, things aren’t going to go your way. It’s how you respond to that, and that’s what we did. We responded with a great game.”

Lewis Cine, Sophomore, Defensive Back

On what Coach Smart says to them behind the scenes about their performance in games…

“We watch film and look for ways we can improve, pick out places where we went wrong and correct them.”

On where the tradition of the Georgia-Auburn rivalry sits with him…

“From the older guys, I’m getting the sense that this is really important to them. I’m taking time for myself to appreciate the tradition behind these games. There is a lot of emotion behind the Georgia-Auburn game.”

On how Richard LeCounte helps him…

“I take a lot from Richard LeCounte. He plays with a lot of emotion and swagger. He has a lot of knowledge to him, he plays fast and I try to soak up as much as I can from him.”

CBS Picks Games For October 10th

UGA Sports Communications

CBS has elected to use a six-day option for selection of games on Saturday, October 10.

Tennessee at Georgia and Florida at Texas A&M are the two games being held for selection. The game not selected by CBS will be televised by ESPN at Noon ET. These selections will be made after games of Saturday, October 3.

Sunday, September 27, 2020

Post Game Quotes

Arkansas Sports Communications

Coach Kirby Smart

Opening Statement: 

“Really sloppy first half. I thought I was in an extra-inning baseball game because it went forever. We weren’t scoring points that’s for certain. We’ve got a long way to go to get where we need to go. But I want to be positive about the second half and what the guys were able to do. We gave them a little energy, a little juice. I thought we were very stagnant with undisciplined penalties and, every time we had something going, we’d shoot ourselves in the foot. It was either 15 yard penalty, 10 yard penalty or a turnover. You can’t win football games doing those things. I am proud of the way they were resilient in the second half. Special teams played really well. I give a lot of credit to Arkansas’ defense, they gave us a lot of problems but we’ve got to improve and get better.” 

On The Quarterbacks: 

“We talked on the headphones and said we were struggling offensively. We didn’t have a lot of rhythm and we felt like we needed to change some things up. I don’t know how many drives we were into with D’Wan Mathis, it felt like five maybe six, I don’t know how many total it was before we went with Stetson Bennett but we just though he could give us some energy. There are some things he can do well. He’s different than D’Wan and more experienced. He gave us a spark and he’s very decisive with the ball. He makes good decisions. He understands what the defense is trying to do to him so getting to watch them defensively I think helped him.” 

On The Crowd/Atmosphere: 

“The atmosphere was great. The crowd noise made it seem like it was a normal game. I think — as a competitor, a football player and a coach — there’s no concern for how many people are in the stands. I thought it got pretty loud on some third downs between what fans they had and the crowd noise they pumped in.” 

On Why They Looked Sloppy And Uncharacteristic: 

“It starts with the penalties. Also we had guys busting assignments, guys missing signals and guys not doing what they’re supposed to do. That’s 100 percent what I attribute it to. When you turn the ball over— which we did when we had a pretty good drive — when you hold people and line up in the backfield, you’re not going to have a lot of success. That’s just not going to happen. Nobody’s going to give you plays on second-and-15 and second-and-20. It just not going to happen. You got to be efficient, you’ve got to execute, play clean. We did not play clean today.” 

On Coach Pittman And His Team: 

“Well, we talked before the game and his kids believe. I know from trying to start the program at Georgia, it starts with that fight and competitiveness. I respect the way his team played and competed right down to the wire. I love the fact that he was trying to fight and compete at the end to score and call timeouts. I got a lot of respect for that. The kids need that opportunity because we aren’t guaranteed 10 games. Those aren’t guaranteed because of the pandemic were in so you better go enjoy it and go play. They competed throughout the game.” 

Stetson Bennett, Quarterback 

“At the end of the day, there are a lot of people in the world. A lot of voices. A lot of people talking. A lot of people that don’t know. Really the only people you can listen to are those close to you, and yourself. You just have work every day. The decision is never made and just work every day. Coach Smart is bringing everybody in here to compete and he’s trying to win a national championship. If those guys coming in here give us the best chance to win a national championship, then that’s what we’re going to do. You just got to compete everyday with those guys.” 

Richard LeCounte, Safety 

“We just had a mix-up with communication. You know, it’s the first game out and we got that handled immediately. That’s going to happen when you play a lot of football. You’re going to have mistakes, but the best thing we did was correct our mistakes. We got our communication back together and got this defense back on the road. We work hand in hand. Our offense is only as good as our defense, It’s our first game since the bowl game, so we expect some mistakes. We are going to wake up tomorrow, go get those mistakes handled and get ready for our next opponent. I’m not worried about anything that happened on any side of the ball because I know we have the best players in the nation."

Sam Pittman, Arkansas Head Coach 

Opening Statement: 

“I was really proud of our defense. I really thought Coach Barry Odom had a great game plan. I thought our kids, especially on the defensive side of the ball, played well."

On The Momentum Shift: 

“Georgia wore us down in the second half with the offensive line, but obviously we gave up the ball three times and had a blocked punt and an interception for a touchdown that really turned the momentum of the game.” 

On Treylon Burks: 

“He’s a really good player. We certainly have to continue to try to get the ball to him more. He can win contested catches, and he’s a special player. The touchdown grab he made and scored on was an exceptional play. I think that shows things to come.” 

Feleipe Franks, Quarterback 

On The Georgia Defense: 

“Georgia has a really good defense and they are coached really well. They are a good football team. That’s what you get when you play SEC football. There’s things we can do to improve and things that we did good on film. That’s all it’s about right now. Gotta keep getting better and keep moving forward and getting right - that’s what we’re really focused on.” 

Grant Morgan, Linebacker 

Take Aways From Today: 

“I would think that we weren’t surprised. We knew what they were doing. we made good checks. Our DB’s were playing really well. Our D-line was getting a good push. Georgia QB Stetson Bennett did really good in the third quarter though. We just made a couple mistakes. I just want to give my hats off to them. They are a good football team. I think we have to remember they are the #4 team in the nation for a reason. They are a good football team. I think this definitely shows, as a defensive guy, that we have a promise. We have hope and it shows we can be really good. It shows that we just played against a really good football team.” 

On leading at halftime: 

“Yeah, going into halftime, we thought we were going to win the game. We talked about it the whole time, keep pushing, don’t be satisfied with this lead right now. I think the defense kept getting the ball in bad situations on the field, and really just made really big stops. When they were going to into the endzone, big momentum plays for a defense is huge and just shows confidence. That’s what we were building off. Every time we went out, we don’t care where we are or where you put us on the field, we’re gonna get off the field, Three and out or get the ball back. We definitely have to able to keep pushing and figure out how to get that in the second half. 

Jalen Catalon, Defensive Back 

Thoughts On The Defense And Preparation: 

“I think, the first half, we strained really well. The whole game we strained really well. In the first half, I think we caught them off guard with how fast and how well we were getting to the ball. I think, at the end of the day, they just made the plays they needed to put them in position to win the game. I am proud of my defense for straining, not quitting, fighting the whole game. This is definitely a step forward. We will never accept losing. Losing is not what we are trying to do. We are trying to change the culture around here. I definitely think the defense made a statement, it’s not how it was before. I am just proud of them for fighting. No matter the score. they never looked at the scoreboard. They were just fighting.” 

GameDay Returns To Athens

UGA Sports Communications

The ESPN College GameDay show will be returning to Athens for the second straight year as the Dawgs host Auburn on Saturday, October 3rd.

The show will be on the air from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. This year’s set will be within the confines of Sanford Stadium. Because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, no fans are allowed on the GameDay set.

The last time College GameDay came to Athens was September 21, 2019 when #3 Georgia topped #7 Notre Dame 23-17. GameDay was last onsite for a Dawg game when #2 LSU beat #4 Georgia 37-10 in last year’s SEC Championship Game.

Saturday, September 26, 2020

Dawgs Wake-Up In Second Half To Beat Hogs

UGA Sports Communications

Overcoming early offensive struggles and a halftime deficit, the fourth-ranked Dawgs (1-0, 1-0 SEC) opened the 2020 season with a 37-10 victory over the Arkansas Razorbacks (0-1, 0-1 SEC) Saturday afternoon before 16,500 spectators at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium and an SEC Network audience.

With the victory, Georgia improved to 97-27-3 all-time in season openers, including a 5-0 mark under head coach Kirby Smart. Wearing throwback uniforms honoring the 1980 national championship team, the Dawgs increased its series advantage over the Razorbacks to an 11-4 margin.

“We didn’t execute well early, and when we did, we had penalties,” said Smart. “I thought the defense played with a lot of heart, but we’re not going to beat many football teams playing like we played.”

Junior quarterback Stetson Bennett, who entered the game in the second quarter, finished 20-for-29 with 211 yards and two touchdowns. On the ground, junior tailback Zamir White posted 71 yards rushing on 13 attempts and one touchdown, while redshirt sophomore wide receiver Kearis Jackson tallied 62 yards on six receptions. Overall, the Georgia offense finished with 387 yards.

“Stetson brings a lot of reps,” said Smart. “Here’s a kid who took every single rep as a No. 2 last year. He understands what defenses are trying to do to him. He knows where to hurt them. He used a lot of the tools around him, made good decisions.”

On the defensive front, sophomore linebacker Nakobe Dean led with seven tackles, followed by sophomore safety Lewis Cine and sophomore linebacker Nolan Smith with six apiece. Senior safety Richard LeCounte hauled in two interceptions for the second-consecutive game, increasing his career total to a team-leading seven.

Junior punter Jake Camarda led a strong showing by the Georgia special teams with seven punts for 349 yards, averaging 49.9 yards per kick with a long of 63. Additionally, the Dawgs’ return game netted 148 yards, including 91 from sophomore kick returner Kenny McIntosh.

Redshirt freshman quarterback D’Wan Mathis started the game for the Dawgs, leading them into Razorback territory on the opening drive before settling for a Camarda punt. Starting at its own 11-yard line, Arkansas crossed midfield on a 28-yard completion, setting itself up for a 49-yard touchdown pass from Feleipe Franks to Treylon Burks with 8:48 remaining in the opening period.

Georgia’s offense continued to labor in the early going, but the Dawgs’ defense picked up from where it left off last season as LeCounte picked off Franks and returned it 38 yards to the Arkansas 15. The momentum would only last for three plays though as Mathis was also intercepted by Montaric Brown at the 5-yard line, but the Razorbacks were unable to capitalize on the quick turnover themselves.

Early in the second quarter, the defense once again showed its might as senior cornerback Mark Webb snuffed out an Arkansas double-reverse and forced the ball out of the end zone for a safety, narrowing the score to 7-2 at the 14:30 mark. On the ensuing kickoff, McIntosh’s 48-yard return set up the Dawgs in Razorback territory. But once again, the offense was unable to get going as Mathis mishandled the snap and was tackled for a 17-yard loss, necessitating another punt.

Bennett entered for Georgia on the following possession and guided the Dawgs down the field, but the drive was stifled near in the red zone when White was stopped on fourth-and-1. Later in the quarter, the Dawgs embarked on their most successful drive of the half as they swiftly moved down the field on Bennett completions, resulting in redshirt sophomore place kicker Jack Podlesny’s 38-yard field goal at the end of the half. Podlesny’s first career score capped off an 8-play, 80-yard drive lasting just one minute.

On the opening drive of the second half, the offensive malaise appeared to carry over as junior tailback James Cook fumbled a third-down completion at the Arkansas 42-yard line. Cook’s turnover would lead to 25-yard field goal by A.J. Reed, but that would prove to be the final Arkansas score of the contest.

McIntosh again set up Georgia in excellent field position with a 43-yard return, bolstered two plays later by a 20-yard rush from White. After a fumbled snap lost 12 yards, Bennett found sophomore wideout George Pickens for a 19-yard catch-and-run touchdown, giving Georgia its first lead of the afternoon. Bennett then stretched for the pylon on the two-point conversion, completing the 11-play, 43-yard sequence.

Georgia’s special teams success continued on the following drive as White blocked Arkansas’ punt, leading to a 4-play, 24-yard drive capped off by a 7-yard touchdown toss from Bennett to redshirt sophomore tight end John FitzPatrick. Two plays later, junior cornerback Eric Stokes notched his second career touchdown with a 30-yard pick six off Franks, extending the lead to 27-10. The Dawgs’ secondary continued its phenomenal performance as LeCounte made a leaping interception of Treylon Burks’ trick play pass at the Georgia 19-yard line.

Entering the fourth quarter, Bennett’s direction continued the offensive turnaround, including a 23-yard completion to junior wide receiver Matt Landers on third-and-10. White closed the Dawgs’ fourth-consecutive scoring drive with a 6-yard touchdown run, finishing off a 13-play, 81-yard series. Mathis would return for the Dawgs’ final two possessions, with the latter drive wrapping up on a 38-yard Podlesny field goal.

Georgia will play host to No. 8 Auburn (1-0, 1-0 SEC) next Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at Dooley Field at Sanford Stadium. The latest edition of the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry will be broadcast on ESPN and will be the first playing of the game outside of November since 1936.

Post Game Notes

UGA Sports Communications

Slow Start For Offense, Then Bennett Leads Comeback:
Trailing 7-5 heading into the second half, Georgia exploded for 22 points in the 3rd quarter on its way to a 37-10 win. It was a combination of offense, defense and special teams that sparked the Dawg comeback and improve Kirby Smart to 5-0 in season openers and Georgia all-time at 97-27-3 in openers. Georgia now leads the all-time series with Arkansas 11-4.

With four first-time starters on offense including redshirt freshman quarterback D’Wan Mathis, Georgia tallied three points on 177 yards in the first half. In the 2nd quarter, Georgia came through with a safety for its first points. It was the first safety since the 2016 season opener against UNC. Mathis returned midway in the 4thquarter.

With 10:07 left in the first half, junior Stetson Bennett came in at QB and finished the day 20-for-29 for 211 yards and 2 TDs, all career highs. Today marked the first time Georgia had a new starting signal-caller since 2016 as Jake Fromm had started the past 42 games. Fromm is now in the NFL with Buffalo.

In the second half, Bennett directed a six-play, 57-yard go-ahead TD drive, capped by a 19-yard touchdown pass to George Pickens (4-for-47 yards, 1 TD). It gave the Dawgs their first lead of the game. Then Bennett covered a two-point conversion, scampering in to make it 13-10. It was Bennett’s third career TD pass and Pickens ninth TD catch. Zamir White’s six-yard run capped a 13-play, 81-yard drive for a 34-10 lead with 11:15 left. Kearis Jackson led the team in receiving with a career-high six catches for 62 yards and two punt returns for 34 yards.

Stout Defensive Effort and Special Teams: In the first half, Georgia held Arkansas to 160 yards of total offense and 91 of them came on its lone touchdown drive. They finished with 280 yards . With 8:48 left in the first quarter, Arkansas took a 7-0 lead after a seven play, 91-yard drive capped by a 49-yard completion from Feleipe Franks to Treylon Burks. UA’s other eight drives in the first half netted just 59 yards. Overall, the Dawgs were hurt by penalties, tallying 11 for 98 yards in the first half. In the second half, the Razorbacks turned a Dawg miscue into a field goal, going 43 yards midway through the 3rd quarter for a 10-5 edge. Nakobe Dean lead all tacklers with seven stops.

Georgia also blocked a punt as tailback Zamir White got it with 4:31 left in the 3rd quarter, giving Georgia the ball at the Arkansas 24. It was the first by a Dawg since Eric Stokes against Missouri in 2018, and he returned that one for a TD. Today, Georgia turned the block into a touchdown, a seven-yard strike from Bennett to John FitzPatrick, the first of his career and a 21-10 advantage.

Junior Eric Stokes had a 30-yard interception return for a touchdown to make it 27-10. It was the first by a Dawg since current staffer Juwan Taylor had a 1-yard INT return for a score in 2018 at South Carolina. It was the first career INT for Stokes. Senior Richard LeCounte had a pair of interceptions today to give him eight for his career. LeCounte collected a pair of picks in the 2020 Sugar Bowl win over Baylor.

Camarda Pins Them Deep and Podlesny Connects: Junior Jake Camarda averaged 49.9 yards on seven punts, placing the first four inside the 20 with two inside the 10. He had four for 50+ yards including a long of 63 yards. Redshirt sophomore PK Jack Podlesny made his first career field goal, a 38-yarder to end the half and trim the deficit to 7-5. He added three PATs and a 38-yard field goal for a 37-10 lead with 1:23 left in the game. Today was the first time since 2015 that the Bulldogs had a new placekicker after All-American and 2019 Lou Groza Award winner Rodrigo Blankenship graduated. He is now in the NFL with the Colts.

For Starters: Four Dawgs on offense in D’Wan Mathis (QB), Owen Condon (RT), Darnell Washington (TE) and Jermaine Burton (WR) along with Nakobe Dean(LB) on defense and Jack Podlesny (KO/PK) and William Mote (SN) on special teams made their first career starts. Washington and Burton are true freshmen. The longest active starting streak on offense belongs to center Trey Hill now with 19 while Richard LeCounte leads the defense at 19 straight. Also today marked the latest start date for the Dawgs since the 1946 national champions opened up with a 35-12 win over Clemson in Athens on Sept. 27.

Captains: Georgia seniors Richard LeCounte, Malik Herring and junior Jamaree Salyer served as captains. LeCounte walked out for the coin toss as teams are limited to one captain for the toss this season as part of COVID-19 rule change to limit the amount of personnel. Georgia won the toss and elected to defer until the second half.

Homage To 1980 Champions: Georgia wore red pants and white jerseys today as part of the 40th anniversary of the 1980 national champions. This was their uniform combination in the season opening road win over Tennessee.

Pregame Show of Unity: Approximately two hours before kickoff in a show of unity, Georgia and Arkansas student-athletes, wearing black SEC t-shirts that featured the slogan “Together, It Just Means More,” locked arms on their respective sideline and walked out to midfield. The Director of Player Development for both teams, Georgia’s Jonas Jennings (UGA ‘97-00) and Arkansas’ Fernando Velasco (UGA ‘03-04, 06-07), spoke briefly.

Up Next: The Dawgs (1-0, 1-0 SEC) play host to Auburn in the Deep South’s oldest rivalry with kickoff slated for 7:30 pm (ESPN). This will mark the first meeting outside the month of November for the first time since 1936. Georgia has won eight of the past 10 meetings and leads the series 60-56-8.

Wednesday, September 23, 2020

Tuesday Press Conference

Below is the full transcript of coach Kirby Smart’s, Nakobe Dean's and Eric Stokes' comments following practice Tuesday afternoon.  

On Tre' McKitty’s rehab and whether he will play Saturday against Arkansas…

“He’s doubtful for Saturday. He’s up and running and moving around well. He got on the AlterG and been able to run some. We don’t think he’s going to make it in time for Saturday.”

On the direction of the offense under Coach Monken/whether it is influenced by the success of other programs’ and their RPOs (Run-Pass Options)…

“I don’t think that the offenses that are highly success aren’t necessarily RPOs—I would disagree with that... Yeah, it’s built around what we think we can do and be most successful with the players we have. Certainly, [we] study a lot of teams that were successful last year, as we do every year. We look at what we have similar to other teams that might have something similar to us—meaning if there is an elite receiver or an elite tight end or maybe defensive backs or a really good, featured quarterback. Whatever it is that we think we can simulate with the players we have that teams have been successful with. You have to be careful when you talk about that because our league is very different than many others. The outlier for me would be obviously LSU last year, being what they did. You can see on every Sunday what they had, and what they were capable of with the ammunition they had. Everybody tries to copycat to an extent, and do what people do well. We have to build that around what we have and what we are capable of doing with what we have.”

On Nakobe Dean and how much more productive he has been so far this season/whether he will be a third down back...

Nakobe Dean has had a really good fall camp. He’s extremely intelligent. He’s extremely competitive. He loves football. He is a great leader. He has made himself a better player. He came in a really polished, really well-coached player, and he’s only gotten better in our system. I expect him to have a really good year and be a successful player for us. He sets the tone and makes a lot of calls for us in our defense.”

On what he has to worry about— aside from COVID-19 and injury —in terms of defense this season…

“I don’t know. It depends on who you ask. I didn’t think we had a lot of preseason hype with our defense in terms of All-SEC guys. I would think that all the better defenses are somewhere else because I don’t know that we put but two guys maybe? I don’t know. Richard LeCounte and Jordan Davis were the only two I noticed on the accolades. For us to have all the great players, they’re certainly not getting recognized that way. They played really hard last year. I thought our defensive staff did a tremendous job putting them in good positions. There are a lot of things we can do better from last year which is create more turnovers, trying to create the havoc that we talked about last year that we didn’t get to do it at the rate we would like to do it. I did think we played good in the red area, and we did a pretty good job on the third downs. At the end of the day we kept people from scoring, and that was probably the most important stat there is with the scoring defense we had. You mean what keeps us from doing that again? Probably ourselves and the teams we play. Potentially, what happens with the offense too because if you are scoring a lot of points people are playing you different. We were in a lot of tight ballgames last year it seemed like—probably some weather conditions were favorable for the defense in terms of tough weather conditions [we had] to play in throughout the year.”

On the COVID-19 situation amongst his team/whether the Notre Dame decision today worries him…

“It’s not really a question that we’re answering. I’m not going to discuss it and put anything out there, if that is what you are asking. Is it a concern? It’s a concern every time we test. I worry about the health and safety of the players first and foremost. Ron Courson and his staff have done a tremendous job educating our players. We’ve started every meeting with an education process, and we’ve been pretty fortunate in terms of where other people are. I don’t even know what you are referencing with Notre Dame and Wake Forest so I may be out of the loop because I’ve been preparing for practice all day.”

On whether a starting five has been determined on the offensive line and how the O-Line progression evolved during the preseason...

“Well, it’s tough to measure. We’ve got some guys that obviously, you know in the bowl game. We’ve got some young players that I think are going to be talented that might not be ready yet. We’re trying to develop depth. As you know in the last two to three years here at Georgia we haven’t made it through the year without an offensive lineman missing games, and a lot of guys going out in games and multiple guys going out during a game. We’ve tried to piecemeal that back and forth—if this guy is out this guy is in, if he’s down he’s here. What gets your best next player on the field, and that’s always tough. It is really tough during a pandemic when you may not always have your full arsenal. I am proud of the way they have played. They play with toughness. They play hard. They block a really tough front every day. I think it is going to be really important to our season’s success that we can get movement and run the ball upfront. We struggled to do that last year, and that was probably one of the toughest things for us offensively was to be able to run the ball. We had a really experienced, talented offensive line. We have to be able to run the ball to set up other things. I am proud of the way those guys have worked. We’ve probably have seven or eight guys that we feel comfortable rolling through there.”

On running the ball/how he makes sure the quarterback does not get hurt…

"You can't control it. There's no way we can control it. I mean, we have injuries every day at practice; there's an ankle sprain, a bruise, a contusion, a knee. It’s a violent game. Football is a violent sport. It’s a contact sport, and there are injuries in it. It's really not something you can control, and you really can't control it in games. Quarterbacks are much more vulnerable during games than they are in practice, so it's always a concern for us, which is why we recruit hard. We develop and establish a roster, and we get guys ready. We're very fortunate that we have the ability to practice a lot of guys and develop them and try to get them ready, but it's always a concern about guys getting hit, especially guys that haven't been hit before."

On what D’Wan Mathis learned from Jake Fromm…

"I would probably say just being level headed. I think all the quarterbacks that were here last year — the two, really, and a couple of the walk-on kids — really learned that the composure is such a big and important part [and] that no matter how well you practice, or how poor you practice, or how good the play was, or how bad the play was ,the next play is the only one that matters. I think composure is a big part of it, and I think each one of these guys have learn that from Jake Fromm. I think Jake had a set routine he did during the week, and he set a standard pretty high for the quarterback position in terms of preparation.”

On whether he has notified the player or the entire team about who will start as quarterback on Saturday…

"I would say that’s a team decision, and we keep our team stuff to ourselves."

On the progress of freshman WR Ladd McConkey/his role with the team this season…

“He’s fast. He’s athletic. He’s got really good hands, and he comes to work every day. He’s a guy who has worked some of our scout team, and he competes. He blocks. He’s a lot more physical than you would expect a guy his size to be, and he’s gotten bigger since he’s been here. I’m excited about him and his development. He works so hard each day and has really good ball skills and has caught the ball well."

On whether the team has transitioned into game week/whether it has been more challenging given everything it has taken to get to this point…

"They’ve transitioned well into game week. We started Friday on Arkansas, and that was a pleasant change for them to get past camp and the brutal reality of going against yourself all the time. I think they enjoy the idea of a new opponent and transitioning into that. They’ve done well this week. There’s been really good energy out there. We’ve had really good weather, and they enjoy practicing. They like going against each other and a lot of them would rather go against each other the whole practice than go against the scout team so they get to compete. They just really like playing football, and that’s what makes coaching fun."

On the part of Arkansas’ offense the team has focused on/expecting for Saturday…

“Arkansas has great skill. Chad Morris knows what he’s doing when he recruits a lot of these guys who are big athletes. A lot of them played last year. They have a lot of match-up issues for us. They have two good tight ends. They’ve got one of the best backs in the SEC. Look, Sam Pittman has been coaching offensive line for a long time, and he’s got an O-Line coach who he’s known for a long time, so I’m not falling into that trap— bringing a young offensive football team on our side of the ball — of thinking it’s going to be one of those tight games. That’s not the case. Our kids are going in with a lot of respect for Coach Pittman. They know that [Arkansas] will practice hard just like we practice hard. [Arkansas] has a good football team, and it shows up when you look and say, ‘Okay. What have these guys done? What has Coach Kendal Briles (Arkansas Offensive Coordinator) done in his history?' He’s run a lot of plays. He’s running really fast. He’s not going to sit there and let us get our cleats dug in the ground and play defense. He’s going to make us play left-handed, and our job is to try and not let that happen.”

On whether there is anything in particular during a game week that helps him feel comfortable as a head coach...

"No. I usually judge that off our kids’ demeanors— their approach, walkthroughs, meetings, [and] guys who come in to watch extra. Just the attention to detail the players show is the number one thing that tells me they’re ready or they’re focused. When you have silly mistakes, and they don’t focus in, it usually shows and it gets you concerned. That’s probably the only thing that gets me at ease, is the seriousness approach to the game the players have."

On where he stands on the issue of Cade Mays...

"Unfortunately, I’m not able to respond to that. In due time, it’ll play itself out, but it’s not something I’m allowed to comment on."

Nakobe Dean, Sophomore, Linebacker

On what he expects emotions to be like on Saturday…

“I feel like the emotions are going to be crazy. Everybody is going to be excited. We’re ready to hit somebody else besides us, so I feel like as long as we control our emotion and put it out on the field, we’ll be great.”

On holding the younger guys on the team accountable...

“Last year, I knew I had to step into a leadership position this year. That’s one thing I had to step up my game in, and I’ve just been pushing myself. Holding people accountable is the thing I’ve done since high school. Last year, I didn’t do it probably as much as I should, but I want them to hold me accountable, so I have to hold them accountable.”

On playing with Monty Rice…

“Basically, I look at him on how to lead some people. Different people need to be led differently, and he knows how to do that. For me, I’ve just been looking up to him on how to do it. Quay Walker, Rian Davis, Trezmen Marshall, Nate McBride, Channing Tindall and I— we all just kind of look up to him and see him as the big dog. He’s just been great."

On Arkansas’ offense and what they’ve done to prepare for it…

“As far as us, I feel like we’ve just been focusing on ourselves, but we have been watching film on Arkansas. Not necessarily Arkansas’ film with its new offensive coordinator Kendal Briles, basically how he does his thing. I feel like the coaches have set up a good game plan for us, and we just have to buy in and execute.”

Eric Stokes, Junior, Defensive Back

On how hard is it to prepare for someone who they’ve already faced but at different school…

“I mean it is truly difficult and all that, but we just going through and look at anything that could help us out in any type of way. We are constantly watching film and doing all this other stuff—like meeting extra just to see what type of thing that I know for a fact what type of thing that is going to hit us.”

On what his journey has been like since his freshman year…

“For sure. It’s been a crazy journey—I remember freshman year like the back of my hand. It flew by, like really quick. It was just a crazy journey too. We had our high roads. We had our low roads and all this stuff. Everybody goes through things. But just to see us now and see the way we’ve grown. We leaders. We have watched them lead us and now us [are] doing the leading and stuff. It’s just tremendous growth that I’ve seen personally throughout everybody in our class.”

On how Georgia’s defense can be better than last year and what the defense can prove this season that it did not last season…

"Easily, the finish. It’s all about the ball. We want the ball, the ball, the ball. We did not create as many turnovers as we knew and thought we should. So, everything is about the finish, the finish for us. We’re trying to do anything to get the ball out— rip at the ball, [and] if the ball is in the air, it’s our ball. The emphasis is on the ball, the ball, the ball. That’s the biggest thing we can work on as a defense.”

Monday, September 21, 2020

Players Talk Game Week

Kearis Jackson, Redshirt Sophomore, Wide Receiver

On what it’s like catching a ball from QB D’Wan Mathis…

“Just like catching a ball from any other quarterback. He has a powerful arm, has a great spin on the ball. Just during the offseason and being able to come up to the facilities sometimes it’s been great to make that connection with all the quarterbacks. I know this offseason we took it extra serious about getting the extra throws in, getting that chemistry right. This offseason, all the quarterbacks threw well, but D’Wan’s speed and stuff is very special for him to be able to have an arm and the speed as well. He will be a weapon.”

On why this game against Arkansas sets the tone for the season…

“Every game is going to be difficult from here on out. Of course this game is so important because it’s the first game and we get a chance to show our identity and show what Georgia football is going to be for this 2020 season. The guys in the building are excited. We’re ready to go out there and play. We have practice today. It’s just exciting to go back out after not knowing from the beginning of the year, not knowing if we were going to have a season. Now we can get ready to play our first game in a couple of days. It’s very exciting and we’re ready to go out there and ball.”

On how the team has adapted to the unusual conditions of this season…

“I feel that we’ve gotten better as a team just knowing all the assignments, knowing what we want to do, what we want out of this season. I know last year wasn’t the year we wanted to have, but now it’s time to make a statement, and I believe that every guy in that room has the ability to do that. I believe in every one of our guys in that room, I trust everyone, I have confidence in everybody. Anybody you put in the game they’re going to ball regardless. That’s how much confidence I have in them, and that’s a fun group to be in. In practice we’re just having fun. It’s just fun to be around those guys and know what we have out there and know what’s at stake.”

Monty Rice, Senior, Inside Linebacker

On if he notices differences during practice in regards to COVID-19…

“We’ve been tested frequently ever since we’ve gotten back. There hasn’t been much of a change from a practice standpoint, we’ve been doing the same thing.”

On how much he thinks the depth of the team will be relied on this season…

“It’s important that we make good decisions on the weekends outside of Butts-Mehre because we need everybody on the team. You never know when your name is going to be called. You need to be really smart with who you hang around and always make sure you’re wearing your mask.”

On his thoughts about the conversations they’ve been having on social justice…

“The University of Georgia athletic department has done a great job of making us feel comfortable and talking about it as a team. We’ve had meetings and it’s been an open mic for anybody who wants to talk about it and get their frustrations out. As long as we keep pushing a positive message going forward, we will continue to get better as a whole.”

On if it is important to use their platform…

“Without a doubt, if we didn’t push the Dawgs for Pups it wouldn’t have gotten funded like it did. It lets people know that we are more than just athletes. We’re not just football players, we’re student-athletes. We have regular lives too and we do other things as well.”

Jermaine Johnson, Senior, Outside Linebacker

On the throwback jerseys and what type of energy that brings to the program…

“For me, I was excited. I was very excited along with all my other teammates. At the same time, Coach Smart told us what we are wearing early on and everything like that so we can stay focused and not let that be a distraction. So we learned early on what we were wearing to get rid of the jitters and excitement and we can just focus on the game coming up soon.”

On what he thinks Arkansas will bring offensively with their new coaching staff…

“I’m aware that their offensive coordinator Kendal Briles came from Florida State and he likes to move fast, fast tempo with the offense. I believe Coach Smart has had us out there running fast to be ready for that. Aside from that, nothing too much in detail. We’ve just been conditioning getting ready for that fast tempo offense that they’re going to have.”

On going up against former teammate Rakeem Boyd and his relationship with him…

“I was just excited with the mere fact that I know what it took for both of us to get where we are. I was just excited to meet each other on this stage. I’ve talked to him before and after we left Independence Community College. Not a ton of contact or anything, especially around game day, trying to focus up and not really talk to the opponent. I’m just excited to play him because I know what it took for him to get where he is and for me to get where I am. So I’m just excited for us to compete on this stage.”

Trey Hill, Junior, Offensive Lineman

On how challenging it has been going up against the UGA defense during practice/how it is helping the offense…

“It is very challenging and going up against those guys each and every day just makes us better, on offense and defense. Just running the ball and passing the ball—I don’t think you see anything better.”

On what stood out to him about Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman (former UGA offensive line coach) during the recruiting process...

“I respected just how family-oriented he was and his energy on and off the field. What you got on the field is what you got off the field. The way he takes care of his players and the love and support he gives them stands out."

On his observations of the offense this season as one of Georgia’s only offensive veterans…

"I think we’ve got a great group of guys. The ones and twos are deep, and they’re all a great players who are dedicated and are going to do what it takes to win."

Smart Talks Game Week

Coach Kirby Smart previewed the Arkansas game. 

Coach Kirby Smart

Opening statement …

“It’s game week. I am excited to have game week, that is for sure. It has been a long time coming and there have been a lot of things that have happened and transpired since we were on the field last for a competitive game. I know our guys are excited. We saw a lot of excitement out Saturday and Friday when we started to work on our Arkansas prep. Our players are excited, I am excited, our coaches are excited. There are a lot of new faces that are going to get their first opportunity to compete at the SEC level. We are excited to do that, going against a very good friend of mine in Coach Sam Pittman, who did just an unbelievable job while he was here. He and his wife, Jamie, meant so much to the community here in Athens and for so many of our kids. He helped build the foundation of what we have now. I am extremely happy for him for this opportunity he has gotten. I know he always had a special place in his heart for Arkansas, and he got this opportunity to go back.

“He’s got two really good coordinators on his staff. I know Barry Odom obviously from the SEC meetings and the SEC experience, him being in the SEC East. Barry is a good friend and a really good football coach. He did a great job at Missouri. His defense has always created a lot of problems. Then, obviously, Coach Kendal Briles is a really good football coach, and you have seen what he’s been able to do historically with offensives in terms of numbers. He does a great job. He presents a lot of problems and issues because the pace at which they play and a quarterback that we all know. They have multiple guys that can play. It’s a little bit, for us, a guessing game who we will get to see at their quarterback position. With that, I’ll open it up.”

On the status of QB JT Daniels …

“We hope JT will be cleared by Saturday, officially.”

On the quarterback situation …

“I am excited about the guys who have competed. They have all done a good job. They have all taken reps. Stetson Bennett, Carson Beck, JT Daniels and D’Wan Mathis have all done a good job, and I am excited to see those guys go out and play.”

On COVID-19 operations for travel and game day …

“I don’t know that the actual traveling is going to change a whole lot. I think a lot of people are anticipating major changes. The biggest change is that everyone going on the trip will have been tested multiple, multiple times — three times in a game week — including possibly one the day of travel. So, that’s the most unique thing. They are trying to weed out anyone being in the travel party that would have COVID. Can you 100 percent do that? No. But we can come as accurate as possible, and that would be the goal. As far as actual travel, it’s not like we are going to be completely in a bubble. We are going to be on planes and buses, transporting the same way we typically do. We are just testing everybody in that party. I hope that answers your question, but there is not like a change in how we are traveling.”

On the impact Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman had at Georgia and if Smart shared any advice with him …

“The first part — we have talked probably more in the last month or two months of trying to play the season. Not just Sam and I, but coaches in general, the SEC coaches across the board. We have shared texts with guys that I am friends with and things like that. Sam — very similar — just how they are doing, what kind of camp they have had, what they have been able to do, really how you are managing a lot of the issues and problems we have dealt with.

“As far as what kind of mark he left on our program, I think that’s evidenced by the offensive lines we have had. He was a really good recruiter. He was a relationship-driven coach. His players just love him and they all enjoy playing for him. He created that family atmosphere. He and Jamie did not have kids of their own, but all the o-linemen were their kids and always have been. That came to fruition for me when we hired him from Arkansas, because every offensive lineman that he had coached there prior to coming back here he had a really special relationship with, and they tried to keep him there. We were lucky to get him. He certainly contributed to our success.”

On D’Wan Mathis’ work throughout camp to put him in a position to play…

D’Wan Mathis has done a great job. He has embraced every opportunity. He’s competed, he’s gotten better. He is very talented with his feet. He understands what we are asking him to do. I think he’s done a great job preparing and so have Carson Beck, Stetson Bennett, and JT Daniels. They really all have done a good job preparing for this moment and I feel comfortable with all of those guys.”

On the issues of facing a staff that has such familiarity with the program…

“I don’t know that there are real issues, to be honest with you. I don’t put a huge premium on them having been part of our organization. I look at it as, they’re coaching their team and we’re coaching our team. There’s not a lot of trade secrets in football. You have to be able to block, you have to be able to tackle, you have to be able to communicate on the field. We have a different offense than we had last year and a lot of the connection to our program was through the offensive side of the ball with Coach Pittman. I’m not looking at it as those guys that were here last year being an issue for us there. They’re doing the best job they can to prepare their team and we’re doing the best job we can to prepare ours. It usually boils down to what the players do on the grass, not what we do as coaches.”

On the preparation for crowd noise on the road…

“I don’t know that we have a complete grasp of that. We know what they’re allowed to use, in terms of decibels and we’ve practiced with that noise amount. We practice, from time to time, with music and other things on just to try to get used to and acclimated to those things. We understand the rules of what you’re allowed to pump in, prior to a snap, but don’t know how to gauge what that number of people might actually be able to create. If you’re prepared for crowd noise and the levels that we’ve played at in the past, we feel comfortable that that preparation will cover what we are going to have in this situation.”

On the impact of this preseason on the wide receivers…

“I think they have gotten better as a group. Any time you lose the juniors out early that we lost the previous year with Riley Ridley and Mecole Hardman, you end up with a little bit of a hole. We have tried to fill that with recruiting. I certainly think that George Pickens had a good year last year and the players that were developing have developed to become better- Kearis Jackson, Matt Landers, and we have added some freshmen that have added to that. We are getting better at the position and we continue to get better at each and every position. That’s one that we need to grow at and prepare for.”

On watching other teams start their seasons already and what he’s learned watching…

“It’s been a little awkward watching games and having not played one. It’s like having an open and then another open week and it’s like when are we going to play. We know the date is set, but it’s just unusual to have everyone start before you, maybe not NFL, but definitely in the college ranks to have a couple weeks. We have tried to use that to our advantage. We have taken clips from college game, pro games, and try to use the situations that the teams are in to try to educate our players and to be honest with you, they enjoy seeing that as opposed to just watching practice. The idea and thought of a game highlight and a game situation to learn from is certainly good for us to be able to do that.”

On seeing the potential of Coach Sam Pittman elevating from an offensive line coach to a head coach…

“He always had the traits of a head coach. Number 1- he’s a great leader, he’s a great person. He commands the respect of the room when he speaks. He can be very emotional and you don’t always find that with an offensive line coach because they’re usually a little rough around the edges and he wears his feelings on his sleeve. He is very open with his players and I think he lets them in more than most O-line coaches do. That relationship really stands. I always thought when our offensive line would get up in front of the team and speak that they always talked about their relationship with Sam Pittman and how they felt about him, cared about him. He got the opportunity to go and a lot of our guys reached out-they were hurt by it, but not hurt like they were mad at him. They were very thankful for his opportunity but they were going to miss that relationship.”

On setting the tone before a tough stretch of games…

“Mainly, because it’s the first game, it’s your first opportunity to create your identity and figure out who your leaders are, figure out who we’re going to be on all three phases. You don’t define that moment until kids have some adversity or go out and get some butterflies. For so many of our kids, the bottom half of our roster, the younger half, freshmen and sophomores, for a lot of them, it will be their first opportunity to play in college football and in this atmosphere. I’m certainly excited for them, but we know this is one game of many we’ve got to play in a really tough road, but we’re focused on this one and this one only.”

On the players maintaining their composure during the game…

“Composure is always a key ingredient, and it’s always a concern of mine. I think those pregame opportunities and those scrimmage opportunities are your best chances to mimic something bad happening to a kid, maybe a late hit or something that is undisciplined that can cost you big in big games, which is why we’ve tried to show them clips of other people doing it. That doesn’t prevent us from doing it, that doesn’t prevent a young kid from making a mistake, but usually, composure is mimicked by maturity. The more mature you are, the better composure you can keep. We certainly hope our guys can do that.”

On the placekicker competition…

“As far as placekicking, it’s still not final. The kickoff duties, we’ve got a good competition going that’ll probably go all throughout this week.”

On any potential doubts of the season not taking place…

“I never lost optimism based on the decision they [Big Ten, Pac-12] made because I was going off of the information I was getting right here in the SEC from Ron Courson and the medical staff, Commissioner Sankey, they’ve been very open with their communication with us, and the optimism has always been there. I was always looking forward to it—didn’t know exactly when the date would be that we get to it, but I felt comfortable that we would get there.”

On senior wide receiver Demetris Robertson’s role this season…

“I’m excited for D-Rob. He’s a player that has improved throughout his time here. He came in and probably wasn’t as physical as he’d like to be, in terms of the SEC. He’s gotten faster, stronger, bigger—he’s able to do more things. He certainly understands our system. He’s a good leader. He helps on special teams. I’m excited to see what he does this year. I’m excited to see all those wideouts.”

On the impact of Jamie Newman opting out…

“With the rotation we had going, it didn’t impact us much as it would have had he been there the entire time. We had minicamp days one through 11 that he wasn’t able to go in throughout the first half of those, the later part was when he got there. We were able to give those reps to other guys and were probably fortunate that it happened when it happened in terms of trying to get a guy ready, because if it had gone up until this point or later, I can’t imagine where we’d be. But those reps would’ve been doled out between the other guys, so they certainly would’ve got more. It was a concern of ours when you start thinking about spring practice not being there, not being able to get the reps, but we’ve got to go with what we got and we’re excited about what we’ve got. We’ve got to do a good job because whoever it is is not going to be a guy that played in a lot of football games, especially at an SEC level. We’ve got to manage that and we’ve got to play to our strengths. That’s what I’m excited to see. I’m excited to see how these offensive players that got to play against Baylor go out and play with a new quarterback.”

On what characteristics of D’Wan Mathis’ personality have helped him come back from his injury …

“He’s got great composure. He’s never been a real emotionally up or down guy, which I think is a pretty good trait at quarterback. You look across the four guys we’ve got—they’re very similar in that none of them get really high or really low. They’ve had good days and bad days out on the practice field where they’ve made and thrown bonehead interceptions, or took sacks and too many they couldn’t take. None of them have handled it the wrong way, and D’Wan Mathis is the same way. Going back to his surgery and his craniotomy—he’s been so resilient, earned the respect of so many people with the way he managed it and the way he came back from it. The way he worked last year—he’s been a model of consistency in terms of staying the course and continuing to work. A lot of the stuff has been out of his control. He hasn’t been able to control what the doctors said he could and couldn’t do.”

On George Pickens’ progression since last season...

“He has a really good grasp on the overall, entire system. At times last year he was a guy you had to put in a certain place and really explain what to do. He understands a lot more now about the bigger picture—what route is the other guy running? What is the coverage? What does the coverage do to change my route? How do I affect the play? Am I primary on this play? Am I the secondary on this play? He has a better understanding of all of those things and that’s important to the rest of our offense. George Pickens is a talented player that can make us better in other ways than just catching the ball.”

On how they adjusted the recruiting strategy since recruits are no longer allowed on campus this season...

“I don’t know that it will adjust at all because we never fully expected to be able to. The only thing that is certain now is that it won’t happen before January. I never thought it would anyway. We were proceeding as if we were not going to get those kids here anyway. I think the reality is more kids realize now that they won’t get that opportunity, and they had hope they would—we certainly didn’t feel that.”

On how James Cook and Zamir White have filled the roles of D’Andre Swift and Brian Herrien...

“It all started at the Baylor game. Unfortunately, James Cook didn’t make it long into that game before he got dinged up and got injured. Building up to that game there was a body of work of practices where he had done a tremendous job and Zamir White had a good game. They both have been really good leaders. The big thing for both of them is getting more conditioning, more stamina, ‘I’m going to play more snaps maybe than I have in the past. What is my role on third down?’ D’Andre Swift did a lot of the pick-ups, Brian Herrien did a lot of the pick-ups. Those guys get ample opportunity to go against us every day in practice where they get to see a lot of looks and work on pass-pro stuff.”