Bulldogs Getting Ready for Tigers

ATHENS, Ga. – Second-ranked Georgia continued preparations Wednesday for its upcoming SEC road contest against 12th-ranked LSU.

The Bulldogs (6-0, 4-0 SEC) conducted a two-hour workout in full pads, splitting time on the Woodruff Practice Fields and in the William Porter Payne and Porter Otis Payne Indoor Athletic Facility.

Speaking on the SEC Head Coaches Weekly teleconference before practice, Georgia head coach Kirby Smart talked about playing LSU in Baton Rouge, the improvement in Georgia sophomore quarterback Jake Fromm and the Bulldog running backs.

"Our team is fired up for the opportunity to go play in an awesome place to play a football game," said Smart. "We know it will be a tough atmosphere. We've got to do a good job of focusing and concentrating on things that allow you to play well. We've got to have the behaviors that allow you to be successful in tough environments. That's what playing in the SEC is all about."

Along with his stellar completion percentage (ranks fifth nationally at 72.8 percent) and yards per completion, Smart was asked if there was another area where he has seen improvement from Fromm.

"I think it's his confidence in the protections and understanding where his issues and his problems are and probably re-directing things," Smart added. "It's understanding where the weakness in the protection is and when he's got to get rid of the ball and when he doesn't. Jake handles that well."

This season, Georgia sophomore D'Andre Swift, juniors Elijah Holyfield and Brian Herrien along with freshman James Cook have been sharing the load at running back. Collectively, they have rushed for 1,062 yards on 175 carries for a 6.1 average and nine touchdowns. Last year, Georgia's senior duo of Nick Chubb and Sony Michel completed their career as the top pair in college football history, tallying 8,407 rushing yards and 77 rushing touchdowns.

"They (the running backs) all work really hard each day, on their protection, catching the ball out of the backfield, keying their runs right, being physical and protecting the ball has been critical," said Smart. "We've got to do that. It's really important that we don't turn the ball over especially against a team like LSU who feasts on turnovers."

Meanwhile LSU head coach Ed Orgeron on Wednesday's SEC Head Coaches Weekly teleconference said Saturday's game with Georgia will be a great challenge in a tremendous, electric environment in Tiger Stadium. He added that "the number one thing we need to work on his eliminating turnovers and creating more turnovers."

The Tigers are +5 in turnover margin on the year, however in loss to Florida this past Saturday, the Tigers had three turnovers including a pick-six in the fourth quarter while creating just one turnover.

Following the workout, Fromm along with sophomore wide receiver Jeremiah Holloman met with the media about the LSU game.

Georgia's last trip to LSU came in 2008, and the Bulldogs registered a 52-38 victory. The teams haven't met since 2013 when then No. 9 Georgia outlasted No. 6 LSU 44-41 in Athens. Saturday's kickoffis slated for 3:39 p.m. ET on CBS.

Quotes form Post-Practice Availability
#11 sophomore quarterback Jake Fromm
On the atmosphere and drive of playing in Tiger Stadium …
"I heard it's incredible; nothing short of an unbelievable football atmosphere. I'm excited for my opportunity to go play in there and excited for everybody else. … It motivates some people to play better but for me, it doesn't matter if I play there or go play on a dirt field out in the middle of nowhere. I'm playing the game I love. Football is football, no matter who you're playing in front of."

On the offense as it stands going into the LSU game and the expectations…
"I appreciate [Coach Smart] has that drive in us and thinks we can do better. Obviously, as a unit, we think we can do better too. Any opportunity to get a chance, we want to eliminate any self-errors on offense. It's another way for us to keep getting better and hopefully strive to play that perfect game."

On challenges that LSU presents…
"They obviously have a very good scheme and they've got good football players so just like any other defense in our conference, they have the big guys up front, they have the guys on the outside to make really good plays in the pass defense."

On using the LSU game as an opportunity for the team to prove itself…
"For me personally, it's never going out and having to prove myself to anybody. I know who I am, but it doesn't really affect me one way or another. For us, it's just another opportunity to play a football game and come out with a win. We're excited for that opportunity and that chance to play there."

#9 sophomore wide receiver Jeremiah Holloman
On the opportunity to play LSU this week …
"They're definitely going to play us hard. It's a top-25 matchup and having not played each other in a while, both teams are looking to compete against each other. There's a lot of hype around the game so we're expecting their best just like we're going to give them our best."

On teaching the freshman to buy into practice and the preparation…
"A big part about it is being able to accept the coaches here. When coaches try to make corrections on the field, everything is running fast. So, I try to let everyone know to relax and know that it's not the tone or the way the coach says it in, it's the message he's trying to get across."

On being driven to play in an environment like Tiger Stadium…
"I'm happy to be playing there but it doesn't actually affect me. As long as we continue to prepare like we've been preparing, that's all that matters. I feel like that's not going to be too big of a distraction. We're used to crowd noise, we work on it. I feel like we'll be okay."

University of Georgia Athletics

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Players Mentioned

Nick Chubb

James Cook

Jake Fromm

Brian Herrien

Jeremiah Holloman

Elijah Holyfield

Sony Michel

D'Andre Swift

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