Monday Press Conference

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Coach Mark Richt participated in a Capital One Bowl press conference on Monday at the Renaissance Hotel in Orlando. Richt discussed Tuesday’s bowl game matchup with Nebraska and answered questions on additional topics.

Opening statement:

“We’ve had a good week. We certainly had a mix of work and fun. I was reading some of Jarvis Jones’ comments, and it sounds like he really nailed it. There’s the time to focus on the game and focus on the practice. That’s what we asked of them. For the 15 practices, we wanted the focus to be 100 percent. We also didn’t mind them having the chance to enjoy themselves and doing it the right way. Was what we did good enough? We’ll find out tomorrow. But I’m pleased with how it’s gone.”

On how important it is to end the season with a win:

“This game is very important. We lost the last two bowls, and this is another opportunity to win and finish the season on a high note. On a personal level, after the game, we’ll all be in there and I’ll talk to the team one last time. You want that last memory to be a good one.That’s a big motivating factor. And since we’ll be playing in 2013, in some ways it’s the beginning of next year too.”

On Nebraska’s defense:

“Nebraska’s defense is very sound in what it does. They do a great job mixing coverage's and they don’t give you clues pre-snap. If a defense shows too soon, the offense knows. But Nebraska does a good job of disguising as long as they can. They are good, sound tacklers, and they do a lot of things right.”

On tackling Nebraska’s runners:

“You don’t knock good backs down. If that’s your way of tackling, they’re going to bounce off you more times than not and keep running. You’ve got to come with pace and attitude and you’ve got to wrap up. You’ve got to do a good job of that, especially the first guy there. If the first guy goes for a strip and misses, that guy’s still running. That first guy has to be sound, face him up, butt him up and get help from his teammates.”

On Nebraska’s loss to Wisconsin in the Big 10 Championship Game:

“That was one of those games that got away from them. We had a game like that against South Carolina. They got hot and got momentum, and we never did much to stop that momentum. That’s what happened to Nebraska. It just got away from them. Which Nebraska team will we see tomorrow? It’s the same with us. If they just studied the South Carolina game, they’d be licking their chops. But we had other performances that were better – and they have as well.”

On if not playing for the national championship is a missed opportunity based on how many players Georgia will lose on defense:

“Every year you don’t make it is a missed opportunity I think. We’ll have very good defensive players sticking around and we have young guys waiting in the wings. I think we’ll be a very athletic, fast defense. It’s just a matter of how quickly can they play a championship style of defense. That’s the big push. Starting this year, we had questions about the offense and people said, ‘Wow, Georgia could be in trouble.’ But we played better than expected. I think the defense can be the same way next year.”

On having motivation for the bowl game:

“We have enough veteran guys that know this is the last moment they’ll be wearing the red and black. I can’t imagine them not playing with great effort. Will they play a great game? I don’t know. But I know they’ll play with great effort. As the seniors do that, the others will take notice and do the same. Nebraska also has a lot of seniors and they care about how they finish and I’m sure they’re tired of hearing about their last game. Both teams have plenty of motivation. I watched enough bowls to see guys get excited and want to be there. I just hope we can start with a lot of emotion.”

On Georgia’s defense:

“We’re a defense that has got a really strong talent base. We have a lot of seniority, we have guys who are physical, we have guys who are fast, we have guys with cover skills and we have guys with pass rush skills. If we put it all together and play our best ball, I expect us to have a big performance.”

On when it hits Richt that the seniors’ careers are almost over:

“It starts at the gala when we honor those guys and we know they’re going out the door. At the bowl practices, you know it’s the last time you’re on this field or that field or it’s the last practice period. You think about that. I could tell they had that feeling too. There’s no doubt they’re excited about their future, but they realize they’re going to miss everybody. When the offseason begins and we set the seating chart, all the juniors move to the front seat. When you have a front row seat, you know it’s on your time. In the locker room, I thank all the seniors and immediately tell next year’s group that their watch has started and it’s their responsibility to lead this team.”

Final Practice Before Capital One Bowl

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The fifth-ranked Georgia football team took the Celebration High School football field on Sunday afternoon for the final time during the program’s last full practice in preparation for Tuesday’s Capital One Bowl versus 23rd-ranked Nebraska.

Georgia has had a variety of conditions to practice in this week including warm, cool and rainy weather situations. This time around, the Dawgs dealt with winds reaching 15 miles per hour under sunny skies with temperatures lingering in the mid-50s.

Georgia joined the Cornhuskers at the DisneyQuest Indoor Interactive Theme Park on Sunday morning following a Fellowship of Christian Athletes breakfast. The Dawgs had the opportunity to interact and play video games with a large group of Orlando youth before Georgia’s afternoon practice. Long snapper Ty Frix, tight end Arthur Lynch and linebacker Christian Robinson (right) shot some promos that ABC will air during the Capital One Bowl.

After arriving to town on December 26th, head coach Mark Richt is now ready for his team to kickoff.

“We feel like we have done everything we can do to get ready for this game,” said Richt. “We are going to have to get after it because I’m sure Nebraska has been preparing just as hard. It will be interesting to see how the game develops after it gets going. I’ve been watching some of the other bowl games and it seems like one team might come out with the juice and then the other team ends up coming up with it later in the game. We have to make sure we channel our emotions and concentrate throughout the game.”

The Dawgs’ final regular season game was a 42-10 win over Georgia Tech. Georgia last took the field on December 1st versus #2 Alabama in the Southeastern Conference Championship Game.

“It has been a month since we last played and would have been even longer than that had we not played in our conference championship game,” Richt said. “I think that’s the reason for the bowl game looking a lot like the first game of the season sometimes with fumbles, interceptions and slips in the special teams. But we hope that we have created enough good habits during the regular season to carry over to this game.”

Richt also mentioned the availability of senior defensive end Abry Jones. Jones injured his ankle in late October at Kentucky and has been sidelined since having surgery on the ankle.

We don’t know how much he’ll go, but he hasn’t been flying around the field this week,” said Richt. “Abry has been working hard to get back in action. Not sure of his conditioning or how quickly he can move around the field. We don’t want to have him out there if we're rushing him back, or if he is not playing at the level he is capable of playing or playing true Georgia football.”

The Dawgs face the Cornhuskers on January 1st at 1:08 p.m. in the Capital One Bowl. It will be televised by ABC.

Bowl Press Conference

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Georgia offensive coordinator Mike Bobo, defensive coordinator Todd Grantham plus defensive end Garrison Smith and quarterback Aaron Murray took part in a Capital One Bowl press conference Saturday.

The coaches and players agreed preparations have been going well, and that they have been enjoying their time in Orlando. However, they are ready to play the game against No. 23 Nebraska.

“The players have been doing a good job of preparing for the game, working when it’s time to work, and they’ve been able to enjoy the parks too,” said Grantham. “They understand they need to play well and get ready to play a tough, physical game against a talented offense. We’re looking forward to an exciting game on January 1st.”

The Nebraska rushing attack includes dual-threat quarterback Taylor Martinez who tallied 973 yards on the ground while passing for 2,667 yards and 21 touchdowns.

“We’re going to do our best against him (Martinez) because he’s a great player,” said Smith. “We’ll have to be disciplined and play as a team. Everybody will have to do their job because he is hard to contain.”

When talk turned to the Cornhusker defense, Bobo said he sees a veteran team that features eight seniors and three juniors in their starting 11.

“Nebraska’s defense plays well together, and they are like us in coming off a disappointing loss in their conference championship game,” said Bobo. “I know both teams will be ready to compete.”

Murray said he hopes to send the seniors out with a victory, and personally, he’d like to get his first bowl win too.

“We’ve got tremendous leadership on this team, a great group of senior leaders and a few juniors, and it’s been a couple of years since we’ve won a bowl game,” said Murray. “We have a chance to crack the top five with a victory so we’re making sure we stay focused. I’ve yet to win a bowl game, and I’ll do what I can to lead the offense. We’ve got a good game plan, and we’re looking to be balanced and make plays. We didn’t make enough plays as an offense in our last two bowl games.”

Currently with an 11-2 record, Georgia is aiming to become only the third team in school history to register at least 12 wins in a season. Vince Dooley’s national championship team in 1980 went 12-0 while the 2002 Dawgs under Mark Richt finished 13-1. Both of those squads won the SEC and a Sugar Bowl.

“We have a chance to win 22 games in two years, and in the history of Georgia football, that hasn’t happened very often so that would be unique plus there a chance to finish in the top five,” Grantham added. It’s important to send our seniors out the right way and for the guys coming back too. The seniors are a special group. The fun part of my job is to see how they’ve gotten mentally and physically tougher over the past few years.”

Saturday Practice Report

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The fifth-ranked Georgia football team practiced for two hours in off-and-on rain during the fourth session of the week as preparations continued for Tuesday’s Capital One Bowl versus 23rd-ranked Nebraska.

“The plan was to have two regular Wednesday practices, Friday and today, but the guys did such a good job yesterday that we knocked out the competitive portions of practice and focused on the fundamentals today,” said coach Mark Richt. “We basically focused on fundamentals and scout team stuff like a regular Thursday.”

Richt said the wet conditions should help his team polish certain portions of the game that are always important during the postseason.

“We got it in without too much rain today,” Richt said. “It could always rain on game day, although it’s not predicted to right now. But a little rain never hurts in the preparation since ball concentration, ball security and special teams always seem to play a role in bowl games. Since we have had a little layoff, it is kind of like playing in the first game of the season again so we have to concentrate on those things.”

The Dawgs had the opportunity to visit SeaWorld on Friday and will get the chance to attend one of the Disney World parks later Saturday. Sophomore defensive end Ray Drew has enjoyed his time in Orlando, but is aware of the business nature of this trip as well.

“Orlando has been a great place and even though this is a little short of our goal, I think it’s a great backup,” Drew said. “It’s been nice to spend some time with our teammates. The key is to find a balance between the time for work and the time to play here.

“Coach Todd Grantham told us when we got here that there were going to be a lot of distractions but when it was time to play football, it was time to play football. He reminded us that when we look back at this trip, we will remember the Shamu shows. But what is important is looking back at this trip and remembering a win.”

The Cornhuskers come into this game with a 10-3 record after dropping the Big Ten Championship Game 70-31 to Wisconsin. According to Drew, Georgia is zeroed in on what the goal is for this bowl trip after the Dawgs have lost their last two bowl matchups.

“We respect Nebraska,” said Drew. “As usual, we fear no one but respect everyone. I think we know what we need to do down here to leave with a ‘W’.”

Friday Practice Report

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Fifth-ranked Georgia continued preparations for its Capital One Bowl contest with No. 23 Nebraska by holding a two-hour practice Friday.

Coach Mark Richt said the Dawgs know they’re going to face an excellent Nebraska rushing attack along with a talented quarterback in Taylor Martinez who tallied 973 yards on the ground while passing for 2,667 yards and 21 touchdowns too. Richt said he is aiming for a strong start and a complete game from the Dawgs against the Cornhuskers.

“We had good energy, everybody was locked in and ready to work today,” Richt added. “I feel good about preparations so far, I really like how we prepared in Athens, then got a little break and so far so good here in Orlando. It’s still a game of emotion and momentum, and hopefully we’ll start out with the right type of emotion, but we have to play for 60 minutes.”

“Taylor Martinez can take it the distance on any play, he’s a very mobile quarterback, he does a great job, and we have to keep pressure on him,” said All-American linebacker Jarvis Jones. “We’ve faced a couple athletic quarterbacks that are gifted with speed. He’s explosive. We understand we have to execute our game plan and prepare to do our best when it’s game time. The coaches have been doing a great job of putting us in situations to make plays this season. We know Nebraska is very capable of going the distance on some plays.”

After practice, the team had a pair of afternoon activities planned. The Dawgs visited SeaWorld, and they had the option of attending the Russell Athletic Bowl at Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium, site of the Capital One Bowl too. Friday’s contest was between Virginia Tech and Rutgers.

The team’s Saturday’s schedule begins with another morning practice followed by a day at various Disney Parks including Magic Kingdom, Epcot, MGM Studios and Animal Kingdom. Also, offensive coordinator Mike Bobo, defensive coordinator Todd Grantham plus Jones and junior quarterback Aaron Murray are slated to attend a bowl press conference during the day.