Georgia Week Football Media Availability

Head coach Will Muschamp held his weekly news conference Tuesday afternoon. Players who spoke prior to him included Eric Douglas, Rico Dowdle, Jovaughn Gwyn, Jaycee Horn, Sadarius Hutcherson, Ernest Jones, Kyle Markway, Shi Smith and Aaron Sterling.

WILL MUSCHAMP TRANSCRIPT

– You all ready? You ready? S’cuse me, Steve. Don’t apologize. Georgia noon kick in Athens’ Sanford Stadium Coach Dooley Field. Really glad they finally honored coach Dooley for what he did for college athletics and college football, not just as a head football coach, but also as athletic director in the University of Georgia in the Southeastern Conference. It’s well deserved and I’m happy for him. Georgia’s got a really good football team. You start at quarterback, Jake Fromm, is completing right about 80% of his passes. I think he was 24 of 29 Saturday night. Very accurate with the football. A lot of command in what they do offensively. Obviously, he’s had a lot of turns and reps, but just an overall really good football player. Offensive line’s big and athletic. They’ve allowed one sack all year and I think 18 negative plays in five games, which is, as much as they run the football, is pretty remarkable, but very athletic and big up front. Receivers are seniors, Simmons, and Cager’s been a good pickup for him, a graduate transfer, is a bigger guy. Some of the back shoulder balls and things, does a really nice job, but they’re young at receiver, but very talented, Pickens, and those guys are really talented guys, and of course, the backs are outstanding, Swift and Herring and White and Cook are all very talented guys in the back field, do a good job of getting those guys the ball in some different ways. Defensively, very deep and talented. On the front seven, they play a lot of guys up front, and roll guys in there, play hard, play tough, play physical, but two guys that jump out at me is the two safeties, Reed and LeCounte are really good football players. They erase a lot of things, tackle well in space, make a lot of communication, obviously, in what they do defensively, and those guys do a really nice job. A really talented specialist, Blankenship’s been there a long time, and the punter’s a really good player, and then they got really good team speed and returner. So, got a really good football team. Injury-wise, Rico Dowdle, Dakereon Joyner, and Randrecous Davis all practiced today and we expect them to play on Saturday. Other than that, we’re about status quo from where we’ve been. We will get Kevin Harris back at the end of the year. He’s progressing extremely well off of his surgery, and we’ll get him back at the end of the season, so I’ll open it up for any questions.

– [Monderator] Raise your hand and we’ll get a mic brought to you.

– [Reporter] Will, how much does it help to be coming off a really good game, rushing the football with Rico and Tavien going against a defense like Georgia, who I don’t think they’ve allowed a rushing TD all year.

– No, they haven’t. No, I think that that obviously gives you confidence. You go to Missouri and don’t run the ball really well, and they did a nice job with some things, and we weren’t as effective as we need to be, and then we rushed the ball well against Kentucky. So, brings you some more confidence and we ran the ball well against Alabama, and we’ve just been inconsistent, obviously, in the one game against Missouri of running the football.

– [Moderator] Back of the room.

– [Reporter] Will, when you can run the ball like that, a couple weeks ago against Kentucky, is that more of a mindset or is that a scheme or kind of a combination of both?

– I think it’s a combination of a lot of things. I think, schematically, number one. I think it’s a mindset of physicality and what you want to be, and that’s what we want to be. We want to be able to run the football and stay balanced offensively. I think it’s really important to have balance offensively, because when you get too one-dimensional in our league against the schedule we have, it’s going to be very difficult to move the football if you’re just running it all the time or throwing it all the time. So, to be able to create balance is really important, and that’s something we want to be able to do, but I think there’s a lot of things that go into it. The physicality of the game, you got to have talented runners because you’re not going to be able to put a hat on a hat on everybody in the run game. Guys have got to be able to run through contact, make a guy miss. So, those are all things that I think figure in to being successful and running the ball. Obviously, scheme-wise you got to be right in your numbers and things and those things certainly help.

– [Reporter] Will, you mentioned balance, but just from an identity standpoint, is being able to do what you guys did against Kentucky, is that a better indication of what your offense is trying to do?

– Well again, I think that, certainly, number one, to help Ryan, as a young player at that position, to be able to run the football helps an awful lot, so you don’t get into a one-dimensional, you change the launch point for the quarterback and those sort of things, so I think that’s really important, but that’s something, we want to be balanced. That’s what we want to be able to do, and then going on the road, especially in this sort of game, you need to be able to have some balance in the run game.

– [Reporter] Coach, how do you feel like you guys performed against the open weekend? Do you feel like it gives you guys some momentum going into this week?

– Well, I was pleased. Tuesday, I thought we had a good practice, not so much on Wednesday and a little better on Thursday. We needed to have some better attention to detail and focus. We didn’t have that. I was pleased with today’s practice though.

– [Reporter] I think you talked going into the bye about the defense needing to limit explosive plays a little bit more. Just, what kind of goes into that and do you feel like you’ve made progress?

– Well, we’ll find out Saturday, Collyn, but we went back and just looked at our first five ball games and whether it was an error, could’ve been in all three areas, whether it was upfront at the linebacker or in the secondary. Was it a busted assignment? Are we doing too much? There’s a lot of different questions you answer, or ask, when you look at those sort of things. Is that a coaching issue? Is that a scheme issue? Is that a player issue? So, those are all things that we kind of tried to help minimize those things moving forward, and the bottom line is we need to be more consistent defensively. We’ve done some really good things at times, and we haven’t done ’em enough, and so, those are things we, Collyn, we’ve got to go back and just be a more consistent football team overall, but you specifically asking about the defense, we need to be more consistent.

– [Reporter] Will, with Jaylen Nichols, when you first started recruiting him, what did you see in him? What made you think that he would be a guy to be able to contribute immediately?

– Well, athletic. You don’t ever know about contributing immediately till you get ’em here, but just very athletic, very powerful for a big guy, gets his hands on ya, can move people, and is athletic enough to block the edge in our league, but then when you get a guy on campus, he was very mature in how he handles himself, he’s extremely bright and he can learn. So, those are all things you start to look for. He handles tough coaching, which is obviously, at that position, you’ve got to be able to manage and handle, and I think a lot of that goes back to maturity. A lot of times, playing as a freshman, you need to have an opportunity, you need to have ability, but so much of it, to me, goes into how mature you are and how you handle it, ’cause generally, young players always hit the wall at some point, and he’s been a guy that’s continued to work and progress and has put himself in a position to be a productive player for us.

– [Moderator] Josh.

– [Reporter] How do you defend the back shoulder throw?

– Well, it’s very difficult. Generally, there’s a move area down the field that you try to identify, whether that’s at 14, whether it’s at 16, whether it’s at 18, and generally, the ball’s being thrown to the back of the defender’s helmet, as far as those things. It’s got to be something you’ve got to really work on from a quarterback and receiver standpoint, but we work and we talk in terms of playing the ball in phase. So, if this was the receiver and I wanted to be able to play the ball in phase, and the ball’s being thrown over his shoulder, then I’d want to be able to look and lean, and as long as I’m playing the ball, it’s not passed interference on most Saturdays, as long as I’ve got a lean and I press the receiver, I can play the ball. Well, if you look and play the ball in phase, and they’re throwing a back shoulder ball, you’re going to look and you’re going to keep running, the ball’s going to be completed behind you. So, when you play a team that plays a back shoulder, you’ve got to be able to play the ball out of phase, and be able to play through the receiver. So, if you feel the receiver falling away from you as you start to look and lean, then you’ve got to be able to play through your back to your left hand if you’re facing the receiver that way. Does that make sense what I’m saying? So, if he falls away from you, you’ve got to be able to play the ball what we would say out of phase. You’re not in phase with the receiver anymore on a back shoulder ball, and play through it, and you got to be able to get an elbow down.

– [Reporter] Who was the first team you remember throwing that?

– Man, it’s been a long time. The guys have done that for a while. So, I don’t know I’d be able to tell you the first person.

– [Moderator] Go to Pete.

– [Reporter] Will, how was Ryan’s progress in the off week? And did he have a chance to kind of reset after getting thrown in maybe earlier than he expected?

– Well, I think he’s done really well. Obviously, he would’ve love to have played better in Missouri, but I think he’s handled the situation and the circumstances extremely well, and he’s progressed well, he’s practiced well, he’s taken all the reps, and I think, again, the more turns in reps you get, the more better you’re going to improve and he certainly is a guy that’s worked extremely hard to put himself in this position to play well, and we expect for him to play well.

– [Moderator] Collyn.

– [Reporter] Just one more technical question. I think you mentioned on the teleconference, the pin and pull run scheme’s been pretty effective for you guys. What goes in? Why do you feel that’s been effective for you all as a personnel? Is it just the scheme and the way you run it?

– Well, I think it’s probably a little bit schematically, but we’re more athletic up front. You’ve got to have guys that are athletic pullers and that can block guys in space, ’cause it’s easier said than done as far as when you’re pulling and you weigh over 300 pounds and you’re blocking, generally, a guy that’s moving in space. How many times do you see on a screen an offensive lineman that just completely whiff a guy in space? Well, you got to be athletic to do that, and I think we’ve recruited well up front. Our guys are more athletic. They’re able to anchor in contact, in space on people, and that’s been just something that’s been productive for us.

– [Moderator] Reggie.

– [Reporter] You mentioned before the coaches you’ve worked for have helped mold you who you are. What about your time at Georgia? How did that lay the foundation for your career as a head coach?

– Well, I had a great experience. I enjoyed it probably too much there in my time in college there, but I had a great experience. Coach Goff, I still get texts from Coach Goff to this day. Steve Dennis, Richard Bell, Dickie Clark, all of those guys, Coach McClendon, Bryan’s dad. All of those guys have had a huge. Darryl Drake, God rest his soul, all had a huge impact on my life, and Mac McWhorter. It goes on and on, about all of those men that had a huge impact on my life, and probably directed me to want to get into coaching, and I appreciate everything they did for me.

– [Reporter] I guess to go back to the pin and pull thing for a second. What is that ask of younger guards and does that speak to their progress that they’re able to handle that and be such fulcrums in that scheme?

– Well, I think, as much as anything, what I’ve learned over the years is find you some runs that you like and you feel like you can execute and you can block versus three down, you can block versus four down, you can block versus pressure, and that’s just something over the period of time since we’ve been here that we’ve felt comfortable with. It’s no different than we go into a game and talk to Ryan about what routes, what combinations do you feel comfortable with, and I think that those are things that our guys have repped a lot, have repped a lot versus our defense and repped a lot versus three down, versus four down, versus pressure, and we have answers when things aren’t going well with it, so I think we’ve just gotten very comfortable in that scheme, and that’s been something we’ve been productive with.

– [Moderator] In the back, Mike.

– [Reporter] Coach, you talked about Georgia having a big impact on your life, but when you go back there, obviously you didn’t do it at all much with Florida, ’cause that game is in Jacksonville, but when you have to go back there now, how much nostalgia is involved for you?

– Not a lot. I’m worried about the ball game and winning, so don’t really think too much about it. I’ve really only been back to Georgia one time at LSU, one time at Auburn, and one time at South Carolina in my coaching career. I think as a GA, maybe at Auburn, two different times at Auburn, so I think four times since 1994 have I even been back to Athens, other than I’ve been recruiting there a couple of times, but no, we had a great experience.

– [Moderator] Rick.

– [Reporter] Will, you mentioned young players and hitting the wall when you have an off week, like at mid-season. Is it more beneficial to the younger guys to help them with that wall?

– Well, not getting ready for a game, and you kind of go back into training camp mode and looking at some different things maybe you haven’t seen during the season and I want to expose our guys to some different things, work on some things we need to work on, but also get them ready for some things we’re going to see down the road, as far as some other opponents are concerned, not just worried about Georgia, but I do think it’s helpful for those guys to decompress. We had a lift on Friday and worked out, and then they were able to have Saturday off and really Sunday, for the most part, off, and then we had a walkthrough yesterday, so to be able to get away from it a little bit, I think is good, especially for young players, but it’s good for everybody.

– [Reporter] With Rico, coach, being able to see him take his game to the next level this year, how much of that do you think has been created from just the competition that’s been created in that running back room?

– Well, I think that competition helps you and when you have a deep, talented roster, and that’s what we’re building to, and it takes time, it’s frustrating at times, but ass on bench, it’s the best motivator we’ve got, and I say it all the time. They all want to play, and they all want to be out there, and they all want to start, and they all want to be on the field, so there’s no question, competition is a great motivator for us. We’re not all self-starters as players. They all want to be on the field and start, and that’s just the way it is. So, I think that certainly, that position, we’ve done a nice job there as far as the competition’s concerned. You’ve got three seniors that are all very capable guys that can do a really nice job for us, but Rico’s always been a very talented guy and has always worked pretty hard. He’s just always had a history of some injuries and some things that have set him back.

– [Reporter] Will, you mentioned enjoying your time at Georgia. Who won the majority of the golf matches between you and Eric Zeier?

– Eric won ’em all. I wasn’t very good at golf, so I didn’t. He won a bunch.

– [Moderator] John.

– [Reporter] You mentioned a few weeks back that when the right time came with talking with Keir Thomas and his family about redshirting, that you would do that. What’s his progress like? And is that a conversation you think you might have to approach?

– Yeah, John. Well actually, he and I sat down about a week ago and just had a conversation. We’re still working through some things. He is working out, he’s moving around well. We got to get him in shape ’cause we really had to shut him down through that time when they discovered the infection, and he’s been shut down for about a month and a half. So, he started back working out I want to say about a week and a half ago. We sat down and had a discussion and whenever they decide to clear him, we’re going to have another conversation about what we need to do moving forward, and he’s in good spirits and as frustrating as it’s been for him, and us, and everybody, he’s working his butt off and trying to get back to where he can play.

– [Reporter] It seems like with Georgia, they managed to generate a really strong, powerful downhill running game despite not necessarily going with a lot of 21 or 12 personnel. Is there something schematic that goes into that, or is a lot of that you just have the personnel and you go from there?

– They’re really talented at running back and they’re really talented on their offensive line, and they got a quarterback that gets ’em in and out of the right run schemes. So, when you mix all that together, that mixes for a pretty good run game.

– [Moderator] Collyn.

– [Reporter] I see the glasses. I know it’s a noon game, but are you planning on wearing those again?

– I think I’m going to have to.

– [Reporter] Your one and only.

– Yeah. I had to put the ego on the shelf on these, but my wife’s going to buy me a different pair she said.

– [Reporter] Have you decided what kind?

– What’s that?

– [Reporter] Have you decided what kind of glasses?

– I don’t know. That’s her decision. I’m not going that far.

– [Moderator] Anything else for coach? Mike at the back.

– [Reporter] With the relationship with Kirby, do you guys still run the same sort of defensive principles? Is it different now after all of these years?

– No, I think there’s a lot of carry over. I think philosophically, that’s the one thing that when you are like minded with other coaches and you believe some of the same beliefs as far as how you want to play, how you want to play up front and how you want to coach things, and I think there’s a lot of carry over between that, but there’s been a lot of time and separation that we’ve actually coached together back at LSU in, I think, 2004, but I think philosophically, there’s a lot of like-minded ideas.

– [Reporter] How do you coach quarterbacks to deal with slant routes, especially in the era of the RPO taking away that inside help defender a lot of the time?

– In man coverage?

– [Reporter] Yeah, man coverage.

– Well in man coverage, you need to cover the man, and that’s where we’ve made some mistakes this year. We’ve got our eyes back on the quarterback. It’s hard to play man to man when you’re staring at the quarterback, so you just play your normal techniques, whether you’re in press man or you’re in some sort of off man and whatever techniques that we’re coaching you to do, you got to be able to cover your man, work yourself in phase where that means you can touch the receiver, and then re-back and try to play the ball, and that’s how we talk in terms of those things.

– [Moderator] John.

– [Reporter] Have you all noticed defenses focusing on Shi Smith a little bit more? Has he found it tougher to get open?

– Well, that’s one of the things. We go into every game, as far as touches for Shi and Bryan, we feel like two guys that can make plays for us, and we’ve got to continue to explore more ways to find ways where we can get him the football. We had a really good play going into the Kentucky game, and then the running game was working so well. We got away from it a little bit. I think we hit him on a boot early in the game going into the scoreboard side, but we’ll continue to explore ways where we’ve got to get him the ball. There’s no question that he and Bryan need touches in the game.

– [Moderator] Anything else for coach? Are we good?

– Alrighty. Thank you.

– Thanks, Will.

– Thank you.

PLAYER TRANSCRIPTS

ERIC DOUGLAS | RS SOPHOMORE | OL

– [Reporter] Jaylen Nichols since he stepped into that role what…

– See Jaylen, I seen it with him since fall camp. Well really since recruiting him in high school. You know, he coming on visits since he was from Charlotte. You know, I was, you know helping him come around and stuff like that. And you know, I went to a couple games back in Charlotte and I seen him so, you know. I knew when he came here, I knew he was going to be a problem. And you know he showed pretty much everybody what he can do against Kentucky. So, you know it’s only the beginning for him.

– [Reporter] So it was no surprise to see him come in and play so well even though he was a freshman.

– Nah, mm-hmm.

– [Reporter] With what we saw against Kentucky, do you think that’s a better indication of what the identity of this offense can be?

– Yeah ’cause a lot of us in the room you know, we pride ourselves pretty much on the run game ya know. ‘Cause without the running game everything else, you know, then we got to rely on setting back 50 some times, you know, passing, you know. It’s not ideal in this league so, you know the focus of our rule and our identity is you know, running the yards. So, that’s pretty much what we do.

– [Reporter] How tough will it be to run against Georgia? I think they’re allowing less than 60 a game.

– Yeah, you know just the game plan that we got set I feel like the game plan that Coach B-Mac has in store, you know will benefit us in the running game. And you know, we’ll have another… Hopefully we’ll have another successful day.

– [Reporter] How much does it help being able to have two running backs like that. I mean, ’cause it’s been something that going over the last couple of years you guys really haven’t had “the” man. But now you guys have a good one-two punch.

– Well it’s crazy ’cause it’s not just, you know just Tavien and Rico. It’s really, you know Mon and all those other running backs that we got in the fold too. But, you know just seeing Tavien, how he helped propel Rico is crazy ’cause you know it’s a great sight to see. And you know, that’s all around that’s what we love to see.

– [Reporter] How did Rico look today?

– Oh yeah he looked good, he looked good. Yeah, no problems, nothing like that, so.

– [Reporter] How much does this help Ryan out? Obviously not having to pass it, you know 50-plus times. Just being able to have the run game there at his disposal to help him and ease him in. You know, ’cause he’s still, you know kind of fresh into this as well.

– It just helps you know, slow the game down for him. You know, he came down and he came out the gate running. So you know, just us helping him by taking some of the load off of his arm with, you know, just imposing our will against the D line you know, it helps slow the game down for him back there when he got to pass.

– [Reporter] When you say imposing your will, is it more of like a, like a mindset? You know, when you guys run the ball like that, is it more of a mindset, or is it more scheme do you think?

– See, our leader Donell, every day before a game he writes on the board, “Run the yard.” So that’s what we pride ourselves of, run the yard.

– [Reporter] You said that Tavien’s kind of propelled Rico maybe to another level.

– Oh yeah, just because you know, just that competition level.

– [Reporter] When did you notice that, I mean, how quick? Was it like right away when Tavien got here? Or did it take a little bit for you to notice that? Maybe in camp, or maybe it was during a game?

– Well Rico, you know, it was coming into his senior year. I knew he wanted to come hard. So, in the off-season I seen how he was, you know, working out and stuff like that. But with the arrival of Tavien, you know, that just boosted him even more. I see a great running back, even though, you know he’s been doing it since his freshman year, it just makes it look even better.

– [Reporter] Was there a practice or anything that like, made you really emphasize that? Where you thought it was, he turned a corner?

– Probably the first practice, first fall camp practice. I seen Rico do some crazy things, but it was even more crazy then, you know since the beginning of fall camp. [Reporter] Pin and pull’s kind of been a big piece of this offense for the last couple weeks. Just what makes that such a good scheme for you guys in terms of personnel and what you guys have?

– Just ’cause, right now I think this the you know like coach says, it’s the most athletic that we’ve been up front in a couple years. And you know, we just like to get out in the space and run. So, you know, if we can get out in the space and run and you know, cover up some of them guys to help get the running backs freed up a little bit.

– [Reporter] What’s the key to, I guess, that kind of run scheme.

– The key is just getting out in space and covering up some bodies. So, you know, we just get out there and cover up some bodies and you know just give the running back a hole to run behind.

– [Reporter] How are you physically? When did you get back to a hundred percent?

– I got back to a hundred percent during the bye week, ’cause you know, I’ve been battling with that high ankle sprain so, you know. I’ve been coming in you know, trying to you know, get back into the feel of things with like special teams and stuff like that. So last week you know with the Kentucky game, you know got into a couple little formations and stuff like that just you know, test it out. But right now during the off week, you know got it back to a hundred percent so it feels really good.

– [Reporter] Do you feel like you can win back your starting job that you had opening game or what’s that process like?

– Well see that process you know is just right now we just going with whoever is out there and you know whoever is the five best right now. So, we just going with that mindset, you know, just going with the five best. And you know, whatever happens happens, so.

– [Reporter] What do you see from Georgia’s defensive line?

– They’re great guys you know, the SEC defensive lineman you know, you can’t get better than that. But you know, I know actually one of ’em. Jordan Davis from Charlotte, he went to my high school. So, you know just watching him on film you know it’s crazy ’cause going against him every day back in high school, so you know just seeing his progression and stuff like that.

– [Reporter] Did you guys text at all this week or anything?

– Nah, we ain’t text but when I saw him back in Mallard Creek we was talking about the game and all that so you know, talking junk a little bit.

– [Reporter] Did you watch, just maybe even casually, Georgia-Tennessee on Saturday night?

– I watched a little bit of it yeah I watched a little bit of it.

– [Reporter] Do you watch that as a fan? Do you watch that as a casual observer? Do you watch that as your study in tape review for your next opponent?

– I watch it, well, I’m an offensive lineman, so I just really watch the front seven. I don’t really watch nothing else. So, if I see a wide receiver catch a long pass I’ll be like oh, he caught a pass, you know. I just really, you know focus on the inside, the interior of the, you know, offensive and defensive line.

– [Reporter] Any big takeaways that you got out of watching that?

– Just, you know, they’re strong. They’re gap sound and all of that. So, you know we just got to come out and do what we have to do, you know, to be successful.

– [Reporter] How much preparation for Georgia did you guys do last week over those three practices?

– Well, we really focused on South Carolina last week, so. This week we started on Monday and that’s when we started focusing on Georgia.

– [Reporter] At this point of the year, how important do you think it was to be able, or how nice was it to be able, to have that bye week when you guys had it?

– Oh it was, I feel like that was, you know it was critical ’cause a lot of people you know, just being banged up you know. Just playing in the SEC. So just coming out and getting, you know working on South Carolina focusing on what we have to do to get better, you know. It just helped us be a better team this week.

– [Reporter] And being able to have that win too. I mean, being able not to have to sit around for two weeks. Where’s just the energy right now during that bye week? Even though you guys were working on yourself that first week?

– We just wanted to prove to everybody what we can do. So this last week that was pretty much the talking point. Just prove what we know we can do. And what we we set out, you know all our goals are still out there on the table. So just coming out there and doing what we have to do will help us with this long stretch that we have in the SEC coming up.

– [Reporter] Schematically, does Georgia do anything that reminds you of anybody else or are they kind of their own little different?

– We’re pretty much just a lot of, you know a lot of, it’s a lot of teams do a lot of…

– [Reporter] Kind of similar stuff?

– Similar things, yeah. You know just so, schematically I don’t see nothing different, you know. It’s just being in the SEC you see a lot of the same formations, just stuff like that. So it’s just pretty much just getting your head in the right gap and just blocking it.

JOVAUGHN GWYN | RS FRESHMAN | OL

– Jaylen, he’s coming along. He’s getting better each and every day. He’s realizing that he has to grow up, and that’s what we need from him. And he’s doing everything the coaches, and us his teammates are asking him of.

– [Reporter] Is there one moment, maybe on the practice field, where you saw him, maybe, knew he needed to grow up? Like did he get put on his butt a couple of times?

– Just simple stuff. Him knowing that he needs to learn the playbook, that he’s not just a freshman no more, he’s a freshman that’s playin’ and we need him to be at his A game.

– [Reporter] What were the finer points of learning the pin and pull scheme that you guys run and was that something you’d run a lot in high school or something you kind of had to pick when you got here?

– In high school, well, basically yeah, because we ran Wing-T, yeah. So, just the pulling aspect, I was already comin’ from a pulling team, so coming here, just in practice I had to get used to the tempo of pullin’, pullin’, pullin’, pullin’, so that was the main difference.

– [Reporter] So when going up against someone like Kentucky, you guys were almost kind of running the Buck Sweep you’d run in high school?

– Sort of kind of. [Reporter] Jovaughn, what has the season been like for you so far, gettin’ in there, and gettin’ in the starting lineup, and being a consistent starter here?

– It’s going good. It’s been hard at times, just pickin’ up, coming back from my injuries through fall camp, knowin’ that I have to just be at a higher level, everything like that.

– [Reporter] Who have you leaned on in those tougher times?

– I would say Donell has helped me a lot with learning the plays, playin’ next to him, he’s always keepin’ you, knowin’ what you have, helping you learn it faster and quicker.

– [Reporter] What was the moment like when you kind of got the call and found out you were going to be moving into the starting lineup after week one?

– It was kind of like you have that little nervous feeling ’cause the only time I played in the game was last year, so just that little nervous feelin’ that you don’t want to mess up and stuff like that. But once you play, you just lean on your training and it was okay.

– [Reporter] After they set the first starting lineup, did you have a sense, maybe I’ll get in this year, or did you kind of put it out of mind and say I’ll just keep working and kind of hope for a break, or what is the mindset there?

– Just the second thing you said. I just put it out of mind and just say I’ll keep workin’. If I get my shot, then I get my shot.

– [Reporter] And I have the fear you expect on Saturday. I know it’s going to be different than anything you’ve seen so far this year.

– I’ve never been there for a game or anything like that, so I’m not sure, but I know it’s going to be crazy, we just got to keep our head down and play.

– [Reporter] What do you know about Georgia’s defensive front?

– I just know they’re big up front, athletic, and yeah.

– [Reporter] Are they mostly a three-down team or?

– They play three-down, but then they shift sometimes to four-down, but.

RICO DOWDLE | SENIOR | RB

– I’m feeling good. Got out there to practice today, Did a couple things. But feelin’ good, getting back into it. I’m fine.

– [Reporter] Were you full go?

– Yes sir, for most of it. Came in, did a couple pairs, did indy. Did parts of practice but I was definitely full go.

– [Reporter] When you run the ball like that, like you did two weeks ago against Kentucky, does that give you some extra confidence going into a game like Georgia?

– It’s always good to come in, face a good defense, SEC defense, and obviously have good production versus ’em. But yes, confidence is in our room, and also our offensive linemen. You know, we facin’ a good defensive line this year, just got to come out and execute.

– [Reporter] Rico, I don’t think Georgia’s allowed more than 60 rushing yards a game. Do you guys see that as a challenge, is that something that makes you excited to go against?

– Yes, like I said, every week we comin’ out facing a good defense. This is just another obstacle that we’re going to have to try and face, definitely a challenge that will be accepted. Like you said, I guess 60 yards you said, we’re going to accept the challenge and I’m looking forward to it.

– [Reporter] Rico, is that Kentucky game a better indication of what the identity of this offense is trying to be?

– Most definitely. Like you said, trying to be. If we can run the ball very well, I think it opens up a lot of things that we can do with our offense. But yes, I think that’s more like what we want it to be last game.

– [Reporter] Against Alabama, it seemed like you guys played with a sense of desperation at times. Do you sense that it’s going to be similar going up against a similar caliber team in Georgia this Saturday?

– Like I said, we just going to have to come out and execute. Definitely need to have the same mindset really each week, don’t matter the opponent. Need to have the same mindset each week. We going to come out and come try and execute our game plan.

– [Reporter] Nico, why has the pin and pull been so effective for you guys the last few weeks?

– It’s just a scheme. Offensive linemen executing their jobs very well, getting to their guys, climbing to the backside backer, and we’re getting them pullers coming up through, and it’s just opening up very well. I think they’ve been getting matched up, our goal is to get one-on-one with the second level and we’ve been doing it.

– [Reporter] Rico, you’re a senior, this is the last opportunity to beat Georgia. Is that something that you really want to do? How badly do you want to beat these guys?

– Like I want to beat any other team. Georgia, Alabama, Clemson, Kentucky, any team. I want to beat any team that we face. Just the same.

– [Reporter] What do you see from that defensive front?

– Very good, very talented all around on defense. Especially up front, I think they play very fast from what we’ve seen on film. We watched ’em couple days. I think their defense as a whole, they play very fast. I think they’re coached very well. Very good, talented guys up front.

– [Reporter] How much does it help that you got a couple weeks to get ready, to get rested, to get healthy to play against the Georgia Bulldogs?

– It’s helped in my favor, from my situation, it helped in my favor. As a team I think it gives us time to recover and get back, get on ourself. We can’t come out flat. Sometimes off bye weeks teams tend to come out flat. I think we can’t come out flat, just come out and be ready to play.

– [Reporter] Rico, for you, your senior year, new running back coach, you have a great running back that comes in here to push you. Can you pinpoint one or two things that have kind of been able to just lift your game, because it seems like you’re running at another level this year.

– I think I’m hitting the hole a lot faster. Bentley’s always coached the same thing. Slow through, fast, slow too fast through. But I think I did a better job taking advantage of the opportunities this year. ‘Sin and Ashley hittin’ it, getting off.

– [Reporter] Is it the competition? How much of that do you think–

– Oh yes, like I’ve always said, Tavien’s obviously a very good back. He just pushes me to be better and I push him to be better.

– [Reporter] Was there a coaching point that Coach Brown brought that really resonated with you, that helped you, you think? Was there just something, a specific way he talked about, or a specific thing he said?

– Not really. Just wanting more out of us. Obviously we needed more out of us from what we did in the previous years. Not really nothing in particular that he said. Just pushing us more, things like that.

– [Reporter] You said in the preseason that your number one goal was just to have a healthy year. When you go down with the ankle, and you first feel that jolt with the ankle, what’d you think?

– Any injury’s scary, obviously. Dude rolled up on me, I’m like. It just can’t be again. Obviously it worked out, it wasn’t nothing too serious. I’m over it though.

– [Reporter] How relieved were you when you realized–

– Very. Very relieved.

– [Reporter] Has Coach Brown mentioned Georgia at all, or his time at Georgia, any of that leading into? Or do you guys give him a little grief for being a Bulldog?

– Coach Dillman gives him a little grief for it. He hasn’t mentioned ’em that much. We’ve watched some of his old film from a long time ago, showing us plays and schemes and things like that. But he hasn’t mentioned ’em.

– [Reporter] Schemes that you’re running now, or schemes that Georgia might run?

– No it’s actually the outside zone play. I think everybody runs it.

– [Reporter] To have to go against the SEC East, winning that’s still available to you guys, how much does this opportunity mean to you guys on Saturday?

– It means a lot. Obviously go out there and play against a good team, and like you said, win the East. Just go out there and have some competition. Play against great competition. The opportunity for that. Obviously we need to win this game if we want to have a chance at our goals at the end of the year.

– [Reporter] Schematically, what does Georgia do? How do they compare to some of the other teams you may face or have faced?

– They fly around. They chase the ball. I think they compare a lot to Alabama. All 11 guys are always chasing the ball. They do a good job up front getting out of the stack. Tracking the ball carrier down the field. They definitely will be one of the best defenses we’ll face this year.

– [Reporter] What do you mean, getting out of the stack?

– The defensive lineman turning around and chasing the ball carrier down the field.

– [Reporter] So when you run the ball like you did a couple weeks ago, is that more of a mindset do you think, or is that more of a scheme?

– It has a little bit to do with both, I would say. Mindset and scheme, just being determined to go run through somebody. Do as much as you can to help the team win. Having that mindset and like I said earlier, the scheme too, the pin and pull has been very effective for us. I think that has a lot to do with it.

SADARIUS HUTCHERSON | RS JUNIOR | OL

– Just hard work, he comes to practice ready to play, and you know, he just has a lot of confidence right now, I mean, he knows he got to correct mistakes and stuff, so right now seeing good things for him.

– [Reporter] Has he come to you for a lot of advice?

– Mhmm, he asked me questions about, you know, what would you do, or how do we block this play, and stuff like that.

– [Reporter] Is it surprising to see a true freshman come in and play as well as he is?

– Not really, ’cause Dylan Wonnum did it, and so, and the way Will coaches us, it’s going to make it to the point where it’s not a surprise.

– [Reporter] Eric said that Donell writes run the yard on the board, is that before every game?

– Yeah, before every game.

– [Reporter] What exactly does that mean, is that just kind of mentality, in terms of running the ball?

– Just kind of like a mentality, just to play hard every game, basically.

– [Reporter] And how does that, how did that work out in the Kentucky game, how do you think you guys kind of dominated the line of scrimmage in that–

– Just like every week, win or lose, we got to just go by what coach tells us, and how we do things.

– [Reporter] How you guys were able to run against Kentucky, is this a better indication of what this identity’s trying to be, offensively?

– Right now we’re just trying to focus on getting better every day as an offense, and we know we’re going against a great team, and know every day they got good players across the board, so every day we got to come hard, come ready to play.

– [Reporter] To have your goals still intact to be going against Georgia, a team that’s in SEC East, what does this mean for you guys? What does this opportunity mean for you guys to have that goal to be able to still win the SEC East?

– It’s a huge opportunity, and watching film on these guys, they play physical, they play hard, they’ll run the ball offense and defense. So we know, coming into this game we got to just correct the little mistakes.

– [Reporter] Have you noticed a different Rico Dowdle this year?

– He’s playing real hard, he’s come a long way, and he makes us in the offensive line take pride in blocking for him.

– [Reporter] Playing harder than he was in the past, you think?

– He gets better every day, that’s our goal is to get better every day.

– [Reporter] You think Tavien Feaster coming here had something to do with it?

– Tavien Feaster, I mean he comes in ready to play too, both of them guys work hard.

– [Reporter] Do you think Tavien has pushed Rico though, do you think Tavien’s has motivated Rico since he got here?

– I believe they motivated each other.

– [Reporter] Sadarius, what’s the key to being good in the pin and pull scheme that you guys run?

– The key, there’s really no key in actually a certain type of scheme, as the offensive line we have to play hard and physical.

– [Reporter] What’s been effective about you guys running that? It seems like that’s worked for you guys, especially against Kentucky, the pin and pull.

– Say it again?

– [Reporter] The pin and pull, why has that just been so effective for you guys?

– We just got to where we practice it every day, and we just try to get on the right blocks and the right person, so we just keep doing it and we perfect it.

– [Reporter] Georgia’s defense is the only defense in the country that hasn’t allowed a rushing touchdown to a FBS team, do ya’ll feel like ya’ll can run the ball on them?

– Right now we’re just watching film, we’re going over these guys, we know they play hard, and that’s what we have to do. We have to play hard and match their intensity.

– [Reporter] Were you shocked to see Jaylen Nichols come in and play as well as he did against Kentucky?

– Not really, because the guy already had talent. He showed it during practice at fall camp, stuff like that. So I’m not really shocked, I mean we kind of expected it from him.

– [Reporter] In fall camp, people talked about being kind of amazed at just his raw power. Was there a moment for you where you kind of looked at him and said, okay this guy could actually be pretty good as a freshman?

– I mean, he had some good plays where we were like yeah, this guy can play, you know, and he’s come along, he’s still improving every day.

JAYCEE HORN | SOPHOMORE | DB

– Oh, really don’t change it much just trying to lock in every play and just knowing that he has the arm talent to get the ball anywhere and he does a good job at that. So, just lock it in every play and being ready for the ball to come your way.

– [Reporter] Do you guys have to do something maybe with the safeties to kind of play those edges a little bit more?

– Nah, nah.

– [Reporter] Jaycee is there any significance going back to your home state for the first time?

– Not really, It’s just like another game I’ll probably have a few more familiar faces in the crowd but, that’s about it.

– [Reporter] How much did Georgia try to recruit you?

– Not much, little bit.

– [Reporter] Why do you think not much?

– Not sure ya’ll have to ask Coach Smart.

– [Reporter] Having already played against a team like Alabama. How much does that prepare you for what you’re going to see on Saturday that level of talent?

– Oh well, every team brings a different thing to the table. You know Georgia got bigger receivers than Alabama you know, they’ll go up and get the ball. And Alabama have more speed on the outside so, it’s a different challenge but, it’ll be fun.

– [Reporter] Style wise, how do they kind of fuse sort of of spread concepts with the kind of that downhill running stuff?

– We aint watch much film on em, you know, this is our first day but, yeah.

– [Reporter] How was open week for you guys Do you feel like you accomplished some things that you set out to do?

– Definitely it was a lot of hard work, you know hard practices, kind of felt like camp but it was fun, we got out there and got to compete against each other, you usually going against scout teams so it was fun, just go against the ones and get good on good work.

– [Reporter] Was there anything that you specifically focused on in the bye week?

– Just the details, my technique, getting good with tackling, all the little things.

– [Reporter] Anything fun?

– Just going against the ones again you know doing good on good work that was fun.

– [Reporter] What does it say to you that Coach Muschamp and the defense started to go with a little more 3-4 looks through that Kentucky game?

– Guess that’s just that’s what’s working right now you know it worked for us versus Kentucky, I guess we’re just going to roll with it, I still have the same job, so it doesn’t really change much for me.

– [Reporter] Do you play with a little bit of a chip on your shoulder this week because they didn’t recruit you very hard or does that matter to you?

– Nah that don’t matter you know I’m in South Carolina now, so. Still got a good opportunity to go against em and Bama, Clemson and all the other good teams so it don’t really matter.

– [Reporter] The fact that you guys haven’t beaten them in a while, does that matter maybe a little bit more?

– Nah it’s, 2019 Gamecocks vs. 2019 Bulldogs that’s all that really matters.

– [Reporter] When you were growing up, how many people remembered your dad, he was kind of a Falcons killer. And that’s a big rivalry from when he played with the Saints. Did you hear any of that, did he hear any of that living in Georgia?

– Yeah from older, older guys I heard about it a little bit but not much.

– [Reporter] Jaycee, how do you feel like the secondary has grown since that Alabama game it seems like you guys are playing a little bit better down the stretch here?

– Just, locking in on the details, you know we needed a game like that, going back to the drawing board and, you know, that was a humbling game so just went back to the drawing board, focused on the little things and hopefully we can keep up the good play through the season.

– [Reporter] What little things did you focus on? I think eye control was one of those.

– Definitely

– [Reporter] And some other things.

– Ah, eye control was a big one, that was the biggest one for me personally just trying to keep my eyes out the backfield, too worried about trying to make plays just got to let them come and everything is good so far, so.

– [Reporter] Played primarily man coverage I guess, last few weeks, is that fair to say?

– No, we mix it up we went really, no we mix it up.

– [Reporter] Who do you have there to defend that slant on the RPO? How do you play that?

– It’s hard

– [Reporter] Looks hard

– Yeah when you man to man, like for Alabama for instance they had real fast receivers. You know you got, 80 yards of grass behind you so you’re not thinking about a slant but know just, got to compete at the line of scrimmage and hopefully come out on top.

– [Reporter] What’s the coaching point on that? What do they tell you to do?

– Just good eyes, have good eyes throughout the route. You know inside releases is easy for a DB to look at the quarterback see where the ball coming and you’ll lose sight of your man and with Tua you can’t do that. And he was putting them right on the money so just working on that.

– [Reporter] Is there anyway to be inside that guy on that slant route or do you just open up too much on the outside if you do that?

– It depends on the coverage where your help is, when you man to man with, like I said, a lot of grass behind you you’re really not thinking about giving up a slant, I mean, you thinking about giving up a bomb so trying to play the deep ball but, it happens.

– [Reporter] That’s why it’s so hard to?

– Yeah.

– [Reporter] In that kind of situation how much run, are you thinking or you thinking, you know, run at all, in that sort of spot.

– Am I thinking run?

– [Reporter] Yeah.

– Nah, nah, not lined up man to man, you should be thinking about big bombs down the field, yeah.

– [Reporter] How much man you guys played this year?

– I’m not sure, I’m not sure.

– [Reporter] Does your role change at all with this kind of power run game, that they have, or is that a job for Jamie or somebody else who’s in that nickel spot?

– More so the safeties and the nickel but, as corners, we really have the same, we’re about the pass first, same mindset going into every game. We know we’re going to have to tackle though when the ball get on the edges ’cause those running backs, you miss one play, they gone.

– [Reporter] You played a lot of nickel last year, what was your role when you guys were playing more of those downhill running teams compared to some spread options.

– Just fitting the run, having good hands and good eyes to see see all the blocks and all the schemes coming your way and just watching a lot of film and know, know what you going to get before the ball’s snapped.

– [Reporter] Is it harder going up against a guy your size compared to a 6’8 310 lbs. offensive lineman? What are the keys to kind of getting off blocks there?

– To be honest it was a little bit easier, for me, just because,

– [Reporter] You’re faster?

– Yeah, I was using my hands real good last year at the nickel position but yeah it was, all good.

– [Reporter] Jaycee, how do you feel you guys have carried the good feelings after the Kentucky win through the bye week and into this week?

– Ah well, me personally I haven’t really thought about the Kentucky, that’s gone and over with you know we got Georgia, coming up next and that’s the only thing we focus on. I mean, it felt good to win that game we needed it but, onto the next week.

– [Reporter] Did that kind of give you guys a boost going into practices during the bye week?

– Oh definitely, we had a good confidence going into practice in the bye week. And just helped us have good practices all throughout the bye week.

– [Reporter] Georgia does that back shoulder fade a lot, how do you defend that?

– Try to get eyes back. You really defend that, like based off the beginning of the route at the beginning of the line of scrimmage, you win at the line of scrimmage. It’s not really a route you go in win on downfield, so.

– [Reporter] How do you win it at the line of scrimmage?

– Staying on top of the receivers so you can check back shoulder cause, if he beats you off the line, and you chasing him, you not going to see the back, so.

– [Reporter] So if you’re chasing him is when you’re the most vulnerable.

– Right so, where it all starts most of the reps with corners and wide receivers you win at the line of scrimmage, you lose at the line of scrimmage.

– [Reporter] Jaycee, this offense South Carolina’s offense has done a lot of pin and pull stuff in the run game, I guess, how hard is that to defend and kind of what makes that a good run concept for this team?

– It just puts the stress, well I’m a corner so it puts the stress on us when you seeing two big guys pulling and then it’s just you and the running back, you know that’s, that’s not a good matchup so you just got to be able to make a play, but it definitely gives the defense a lot of problems, definitely.

– [Reporter] T-Rob said over the bye week, he needs to get those young corners in a little bit more in the second half of the season, have you seen, what kind of development have you seen from Shilo and Cam?

– Shilo and Cam well Cam you know just, he’s gotten way bigger since he got here, that was the main thing he needed to do, get bigger and play more physical. And he’s definitely doing that, you know, he has all the coverage skills in the world he’s athletic, fast, you know quick, can jump so he can be as good as he want to be. And Shilo, you know he a real hard worker and he’ll come up and hit you, so that’s what I like about Shilo. John also coming along just practicing and getting better everyday.

ERNEST JONES | SOPHOMORE | LB

– [Reporter] Very significant to see you go back home to your home state for the first time.

– It’s just another game for me. Just another big game. SEC game East. You know, you got to take care of business, so you can keep fighting and have a fighting chance, to win the East and that’s our goal.

– [Reporter] Ernest, what have you seen out of Jaylen Nichols? Going up against him in practice?

– You know, he’s good. He has good feet. Very, very powerful punch. You know, if he gets ahold to you, it’s kind of a wrap. He’s definitely doing good right now, you know taking over after Dylan got hurt.

– [Reporter] Is it a little surprising that a freshman is able to come in and play as well as he did? Or is that not surprising?

– No, it’s not surprising. You know, you work for this moment all through the summer, and everything you did during the spring, and if he was here at the fall camp, you know, you should be ready.

– [Reporter] Did you have any allegiance to Georgia growing up or were you not really a Bulldogs fan?

– Oh no, I did not like Georgia.

– [Reporter] Who were you a fan of?

– South Carolina.

– [Reporter] When you think Georgia offense, you think what?

– Powerful. Running physical. Like to run the ball a lot. Set up, run the ball, run the ball, set up, play action passes, you know. Powerful, got a good quarterback. No, they’re a good offense.

– [Reporter] What do you see from Jake Fromm?

– He’s an accurate thrower. He can put the ball in multiple places. He’s good with his decision making. You know, he makes decisions fast, and he’s going with whatever decision he makes, in his mind before his pre-snap clues.

– [Reporter] The ups and downs you guys have gone through as a defense, what kind of game like this, going up against one of the best probably offenses in the country, do for you guys?

– I feel like we’re going to be pretty good with the preparation that we’re doing this week and have done throughout the bye week. I think we’re going to match up real well.

– [Reporter] In terms of just a confidence standpoint though to be able to kind of–

– Oh yeah.

– [Reporter] Keep things going for the final stretch of the season.

– Oh yeah it definite a confidence boost you know. We’ve had our ups and downs and what not. Goin’ up and takin’ care of business this week, it will boost the confidence a bunch. [Reporter] Against Alabama you played with a pretty good sense of desperation. Do you sense that there will be a similar sense of desperation against a team that’s in that same class as Alabama was?

– Yes, yes it’s desperation we need to win games we don’t have anymore games to lose, we just got to come out and play our style of play. Fit our gaps and do what we are supposed to do and it’ll take care of itself. [Reporter] Do you think everybody had that same sense of urgency during the bye week practices?

– Oh yeah the bye week practices were good we definitely utilized that to take advantage of this week and, getting better at all the things that have kind of hurt us in the past. [Reporter] Ernest how much prep did you guys do for Georgia during the bye week or was that kind of, solely focused on you all?

– The first day was kind of focused on us, but then towards you know Wednesday and Thursday, We kind of more honed in on what they are going to do kind of install most of the stuff. And today we put everything together for us first and second down stuff. [Reporter] Think that extra week is going to be kind of beneficial for you guys just getting you know, one or two more practices?

– Yeah it definitely does, just to kind of you know know what your going to see, anytime you can get extra you know work on an opponent or anything like that, that’s definitely helpful. [Reporter] Did you watch them play Tennessee?

– Yes I did. [Reporter] What did you think of that?

– Pretty good game. [Reporter] Ernest that RPO where they throw The slant behind it how difficult is that from a linebacker’s perspective?

– It’s definitely hard ya know we’re not taught to guard the RPO ya know you seen run especially with us we see run we got to attack it so, It’s definitely open ya know that’s just the safeties and the corners job of squeezing that stuff making the throws harder then ya know it is with us avoiding that space right there behind. [Reporter] Your responsibility there is just to play the run and make them throw that ball?

– Yeah we got to play the run. [Reporter] Fromm looks like a guy who, Tua and Trevor seem ya know physically scary. Fromm looks like a guy who doesn’t do anything spectacular and you just look up and he’s throwing for 200 yards in one. From your perspective as you watch film is that how it looks or is there something that I’m missing in the way he plays the game?

– He definitely he’s kind of similar to those guys, Both of those guys that you named they’re very smart and he’s another smart guy especially when you know, coming up from high school when you hear him, and I’ve watched him play since high school. You can tell how smart he was in his decision making and that’s what separates him from a lot of guys, its quick with him he kind of knows where he is going with the ball he kind of can tell read defenses and see what’s going to happen before the ball is snapped. [Reporter] Is that frustrating defensively? When you can’t like get to a guy when he seems to make all the right decisions, Does that start to wear on you?

– You just got to get to him and then, you know you got to disguise stuff well, Just make him see something that’s not really there, then you roll into a different coverage and stuff like that. [Reporter] Is it frustrating the lack of success you guys have had against Georgia the last couple of years, not being within 14 points in the last four years?

– Yeah its definitely frustrating ya know, you never want to lose especially with, two you know some guys that you grew up with, and guys you played with and played against, you never want to lose any in general period so. I’m looking forward to Saturday. [Reporter] You said you didn’t like Georgia growing up, is there any particular reason anything or just-

– Nah it’s nothing personal against them, It’s just everyone where I’m from just loves Georgia so nah not me. [Reporter] You just wanted to be different?

– Yeah I wanted to be different I definitely did, and I can’t wait for Saturday. [Reporter] When you see the G on the helmet, what emotions come to mind?

– Yeah I, Oh man I don’t know to tell you the truth it’s something different, I’m just not really fond of that ya know stuff like that. [Reporter] Coach Robinson said some point last week, that something he wanted to improve on was taking advantage, of the spots where opponents were pinned kind of close to their, goal line is that a message he’s had for you guys, and what are sort of the challenges of having an offense, in those kind of spots?

– That kind of cost us week one we let out 94-95 yard touchdown that cost us. And in games like this you can’t have those big plays like that so definitely when Parker, or not Parker but Joe and they pin him deep on punts, and stuff like that. We got to take advantage of that because field position equals points on the other end. [Reporter] When you get a situation like that, are you at all cognizant of the fact that like, we could hand the offense a really good spot, Ya know if we get them three and out, we’ll hand the offense the ball.

– Yea that’s something in the back of your mind, but if you go out and do your job and when the play comes to you you make your play you know you’ll get off the field, and the offense will be ale to you know get the ball.

KYLE MARKWAY | RS JUNIOR | TE

– [Reporter] I don’t know how much film you guys watched yet on Georgia, but just what have you seen from that defense so far?

– They play hard. A lot of good players and they play hard and we got to match ’em on Saturday.

– [Reporter] How was the bye week? Feel like you guys got better?

– Yeah, it was a good… It was, it’s always good, you know, just to go back and start focusing on yourself a little bit and make some corrections that you’ve had in the first five games and I feel like we did that. So it was a good week.

– [Reporter] Do you guys get any pressure, I mean preparation in for Georgia during those three practices or was it–

– We got a few periods in, yeah.

– [Reporter] What kind of a challenge does this Georgia defense present you guys as sort of tight ends?

– A problem we have is sustaining our blocks. You know, sometimes we’re on the back side and we don’t hold our blocks as long as we should and against these guys, you got to hold on to ’em ’cause they’re going to chase down a play, make a play, and we got to block ’em the whole time.

– [Reporter] What stands out with kind of their edge guys?

– They’re all good. You know, they got a starter, but once the starter comes out, second guy up, he’s good, too. So, the depth is real strong in that position.

– [Reporter] What was the key to running the football a couple weeks ago against Kentucky, you think?

– I think running the ball’s always a mindset. If you come in with a mindset you’re going to run the ball, you’re going to be successful and I think we made it a priority that week and it worked out for us.

– [Reporter] The sense of desperation that we saw when you played Alabama, kind of going all out to make plays, are you sensing it’s going to be similar against Georgia, a team that’s comparable in talent?

– Yeah, we need to have that desperation every week. We can’t turn it on, turn it off. So we just need to be more consistent in that play.

– [Reporter] Being able to run the ball like you guys did against Kentucky, is this a better indication of what the identity of this offense is trying to be?

– Yeah. We work on running a lot and it opens a passing game for the offense and it’s a key to our offense, for sure.

– [Reporter] Is this the most, I guess, two tight end personnel that you’ve run during your time here, so far?

– Yeah. Yeah, I think it’s an important package for us this year and I think it’s been successful, so far.

– [Reporter] How productive do you guys feel like you can be with you and I think, Nick, on the field at the same time?

– I love it, you know? It causes mismatches with the linebackers and it’s, I think we can be one of the best hunting groups in the nation.

– [Reporter] What does having Nick open up kind of for you?

– He’s, I don’t know, it doesn’t really open up much, but he’s a good mismatch and having two linebackers cover us is, it bodes well for us.

– [Reporter] How much is it talked about the lack of success you’ve had against Georgia the last couple years? Prior to that you had a tremendous amount of success over this decade against Georgia. I know it was before you got here, but how much do you all talk about wanting to kind of reestablish the success against Georgia?

– Yeah, I mean it’s a rival, you know. Like any other SEC East game, it’s important for us to get on the winning side and it hasn’t been that way in a couple years and we need to get back to what they used to do against those guys.

– [Reporter] At the start of the season did you foresee yourself being as productive in the passing game as you’ve ended up being or did it maybe even surprise you a little bit?

– No, I’ve always been confident in my ability to open up in the passing game, but I’ve had more opportunities this year with the tight end situation and it’s worked out well.

– [Reporter] Do you feel like you’ve kind of, did you sort of go into it saying, “I’ve got these opportunities, “I’ve got to kind of make the best of them,” or?

– Yeah, I guess so, yeah.

– [Reporter] How much do you guys practice with like artificial noise and stuff before a road game like that?

– A lot. Today during punt period we were focused on that, because you know it’s going to be loud and it’s going to be hard to hear in there.

SHI SMITH | JUNIOR | WR

– [Reporter] How do you feel about what you’ve seen about Georgia on film, so far?

– Uh, I mean, we really haven’t been watching them yet. We haven’t started on them, we were just worrying about us and getting better in practice right now.

– [Reporter] But you’ve seen their scores, you know what they’ve been doing.

– Yes, sir. I mean, we just still got to focus on us, so…

– [Reporter] Sir, what’s the off week been for you guys? How’s the–how have practices gone? How’s the work gone?

– Uh, I mean, I think practice went good. I mean, we got after it. I mean, there’s really not a such a thing as a bad week, we always working. Got to work to be the best.

– [Reporter] Shi, do you feel like defenses are paying closer attention to you this year than last?

– Uh, I really don’t know like– I mean, I know I got a couple brackets a couple times where they bracket me, but other than that it’s just really been zone, lots of zone.

– [Reporter] Has it felt harder to get open for you?

– Uh, not really, no.

– [Reporter] When you guys kind of self-scouted, I guess, over the bye week, what did you guys look at offensively as the biggest areas to improve going forward?

– Um, really making one on one plays, uh, being man to man, running after you got the ball.

AARON STERLING | JUNIOR | DL

– [Reporter] What is Georgia week like for you, as a Georgia guy?

– It’s probably like any other week. Another game, another opponent that we got to face off against on Saturday. So I’m just treating it like every other game. Come prepared, like throughout practice, making sure I do what I got to do, my assignments, make sure I’m lined up right, and doing my job.

– [Reporter] How involved were they, kind of, in your recruiting?

– They was involved a lot. They recruited me all the way up to almost signing day, so yeah. Georgia recruited me hard.

– [Reporter] Did you grow up a Georgia fan? Did you have a lot of family members that were Georgia fans?

– No, only person I knew, probably a Georgia fan, probably was my brother. But I ain’t really grew up as a Georgia fan. I mean, I watched ’em play, but I wouldn’t say I was like a real fan.

– [Reporter] Is your brother still a Georgia fan?

– Probably, you know, I mean, I go here. He’s still going to root for us. But like, he a Georgia fan though.

– [Reporter] You okay with that?

– Yeah, I mean, I’m a brother.

– [Reporter] Did you have any strong feelings about their program, growing up, or even now?

– Yeah, they got a good program over there. Kirby Smart, good coach. He making sure, it’s a good program over there. Even when I was growing up, they had a good program.

– [Reporter] How important is it for South Carolina to kind of re-establish having success against Georgia? It’s been four years, you haven’t beat them in four years, and really haven’t been competitive for the last several years.

– I mean, it’s important, just like any other game. You want to get the W, so that’s really about it. But yeah, it’s very important to get, like, the win on Saturday.

– [Reporter] How much does rushing, from the defensive tackle spot, open up for you?

– Just make me more versatile. So, I can rush on the edge, I can rush inside. It’s just, helping me look better on film and stuff like that.

– [Reporter] Growing up, did you do a lot of interior rushing, or–

– Yeah, in high school, I played D-tackle. Something like my senior year, I played a little end, but kind of in like a 3-4 scheme, so I kind of was like a D-tackle, if you’d want to say that, yeah.

– [Reporter] How much does that experience kind of help you with what you’re sometimes being asked to do now?

– It help me with just, stance, like low leverage. You know, like playing D-tackle in high school I kind of took on some double-teams. I learned how to play, like, a double-team in high school and stuff like that. So that kind of helped me with like, just in case, if they get the first down on the third down, I can stay out there, play the run, just in case they try to run it. But other than that, I feel good about it.

– [Reporter] Where’s your weight at right now?

– Probably like 250, yeah, 250.

– [Reporter] When you guys went back and watched that Kentucky film, when you guys got graded out, I mean what were some of the keys, though, that helped you guys have that success?

– Practice, everybody came ready to practice that week. Like, I mean, we always focused, making sure we was aligned right. Everybody was like, on the same page. We was, like, focused that week. Play hard.

– [Reporter] In terms of just the communication, and just being on the same page–

– Yeah.

– [Reporter] How much of that, because, you know, we’ve seen plays this year where you guys are in position, and then, you know, just one missed tackle, or this, or that, how much is that, is just going back to being in the right spot? Especially before the snap.

– Very important, like communication’s very important, especially for defense. ‘Cause we play off of each other on defense. That’s how I like to, that’s how really any defense is. You play off each other. One person in each spot, the other person got to be in that spot. So we just making sure we did that.

– [Reporter] You mentioned practice. How beneficial is it to have an extra week to get ready for a team like Georgia?

– It’s very beneficial. You can, like do extra work on just yourselves work on things like the little things. That’s really what we was focused on, about, we just working on the little things, working on ourselves, and getting ready for Georgia.

– [Reporter] Did you get to watch the Georgia-Tennessee game, then?

– Yeah

– And did you watch it a little differently than you’d watch a normal college game?

– Yeah, I was watching, I was watching. It was pretty, it was straight in the beginning, but then, it just, yeah.

– [Reporter] What stood out with them in that game, especially with their offense?

– You talking about, like Georgia, right? Like, they offense, what stood out, they get the ball on the perimeter a lot, with stretching, they run a lot of stretch plays. They run a little of speed sweeps, with their receivers they got. They got some fast receivers, got a good running back. I just seeing a lot of, like, if you keep your head in the game, you should be straight. Like, people just not having their head in the gap sometimes, and that’s really about it. But they a pretty good team though.

– [Reporter] Are they a team that can kind of manufacture a power running game, despite not doing a lot of two-back and two-tight end stuff?

– Yeah, they can, ’cause it’s the simple fact they got some big boys, like they got some big offensive linemen. So they just, that’s what they try to do. Impose their will with the running game, so yeah.

– [Reporter] Watching them, do come way with more of, they’re really, really good, or I see some places that we can make some plays, and we can do some things with some success.

– Yeah, yeah, I mean, they’re a good team, but every team has a weakness. So, we going to get prepared for it.

– [Reporter] In your opinion, how big is this in the SEC East race?

– It’s very big, ’cause Georgia’s a team in the East that, only way to get to Atlanta, you got to beat Georgia. You know, everybody in the East and stuff like that, so.

– [Reporter] Aaron, what’s this defense have to do to be better at limiting explosive plays?

– We got to tackle better, communication, just getting lined up. Yeah, like I said again, communication’s a big key for us.

– [Reporter] What about, take me kind of through what goes into the communication–

– Just with, like for instance, our safeties. They got to align, they got to make sure, ’cause they like, they see everything. So they got to make sure everybody in the right spot sometimes. So they communicate with the DBs. Then DBs communicate with the linebackers. Linebackers communicate with the D-Line. Like a trickle-down effect.