University of Georgia Athletics
Alabama Press Conference Quotes
October 01, 2002 | Football
Oct. 1, 2002
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Head Coach Mark Richt
"Alabama is the most balanced team I've seen so far. They are very good in all phases of the game. They have a tremendous offensive and defensive line. Their linebacking corps is outstanding. They run the ball well and throw it well. They are clicking and executing well.
"We have a great challenge. They are very well coached and playing at their house will be difficult. Of course, Georgia has never won there. They are a big, strong, fast and well coached football team.
"We've had our share of close games early on. It's hard to judge how much we've improved since the South Carolina game. This game will be a big indicator of how far we've come.
"Offensively, we've made less mistakes (the last two games) as far as assignments are concerned. Musa has also been running better. The thing that really killed us last game was the dropped balls and missing the open deep ball.
"(Alabama's) secondary has played well. They have a lot of confidence in playing man coverage. Their corners have held up extremely well in man coverage.
"(On Georgia's No. 6 national ranking) We were ranked high in the preseason and haven't lost a game. Time will tell where we should be ranked. If the polls started (this week) we would probably not be ranked this high. We haven't won in a dominating fashion, which is what the voters like to see.
"(On Georgia being picked as the underdog this week) Just looking at their game tape and knowing that we are playing at their place I'd probably put us as an underdog.
"(On offensive line coach Neil Callaway's ties to Alabama) Neil has some familiarity with the other team, but there are a lot of guys he doesn't know. He does have a pretty good feel on a few of their guys. It means a lot for anyone to play their alma mater.
"Both teams have made a lot of big momentum plays on special teams and that may be the biggest matchup of the game.
"(On Georgia's early defensive success) I wouldn't have predicted it. I thought that we would improve all season but they started out strong. If you had to choose two segments of your game to be playing well you'd take defense and special teams."
Soph. Buck End David Pollack:
(On the Defense's 3 Touchdowns)
"A lot of people say we [the defense] are carrying the offense a little bit. There's going to be days when we have bad days. There's going to be days when they have bad days. And it seems like the are beginning to piece it together. If we can make some big plays and put some points on the board on defense, that's going to help the offense even more."
(On defensive line play this season)
"I think we are playing well. We've got so many good players on our team--it's hard to pinpoint one. Sulli has dominated inside and our ends on the outside. Our linebackers are awesome. We've got a great defense."
(On Alabama's Offense)
"Their offensive line is really big, just like everyone else in the conference--very good, very fundamentally sound. They're a great football team. They've got two great backs. They're going to try to do what they do best, which is run the ball. Our defensive line has got to do it's job, our linebackers have to do their job. Everybody on our defense has to do their job."
(On intimidation on road trips)
"There's no point getting intimidated. Football is football wherever you play it. The crowd noise is a factor for the offensive side of the ball. On defense, they're quiet as can be because they want their offense to be able to check their audibles and stuff. On the road doesn't mean anything for the defense. Football is football wherever you play it."
(On the Big Games with Alabama and Tennessee)
"You've definitely got some excitement. But we're not concentrating on Tennessee in the least bit. We've got Alabama and that's next on our schedule. I know you hear that cliche all the time, but it is. Right now, that's the most important game on our schedule."
Soph. Quarterback David Greene:
(On the Alabama Game)
"This week--this is a huge game for us. Going into Alabama, ESPN College Gameday is going to be there, it's an SEC game and this team has never played there before. They're a great team. We're excited about it. We want to know where we stand. This week we need to have a great week of practice, execute well and just go out there and do the best we can."
(On missed passes Saturday)
"Those type of plays are ones you have to hit, especially in big ball games. You've got to complete those balls. Saturday, I felt like I was throwing the ball a little bit harder than I normally do. I had a little bit more juice on it than normal. There's no excuses--you've got to hit those deep balls, but we'll get it"
(On Alabama Defense)
"One thing they try to do is put eight guys in the box and stop the run. Their front seven is really tough. We're going to have some one-on-one matchups and we're going to have to take advantage of those if we are going to win."
(On where the team is)
"It's been a while since we've been 4-0. The last few years South Carolina has always beaten us and we've already had that one loss going into this game. Right now, we're sitting where we want to be. We've worked hard and all winter and all summer long to be in this situation. We're not going to forget that. When we go in there, we are going to be fired up and ready to go."
(On playing on the road)
"When playing on the road, you've really got to concentrate on your game plan. You can't let the crowd noise, the stadium and that sort of thing get you out of your game. You've really got to execute well, especially on offense, and try to keep the crowd noise down--if you can jump out and get a lead, the crowd sometimes doesn't get going."
Junior Tight End Ben Watson:
(On Block on Damien Gary's Punt Return) "I don't know if it was a great play. We practice that all the time. I knocked him down first and then he got back up. I looked at his face and he said 'Oh, God'. As soon as he said that I knew Damien was coming. If you can just get on somebody, Damien can just take it to the house. That's probably one of the most exciting plays that I've ever been involved with."
(On Georgia's Special Teams)
"Special teams is a big part of our game. In a lot of close games, if you can win the kicking game, you'll win the game. In a lot of the games coming up, I think special teams will make a big difference."
(On his role in the offense)
"We've been practicing a little bit harder and concentrating a little more in practice and I think it's been carrying over to the game. I've got involved a little bit more, but it was more like the coverages were there and David made some great reads and I got the ball."
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