I think it is the time of year all the fans and most everybody looks forward to with a state rivalry game. It has been a challenging season for us and nothing can make it go away totally, but it would be a good way to end the season with the in-state rival game. UGA has a good team and plays well defensively. They run the ball well with Sony Michel and we know we have to play better to win the game. We’ve had 7 turnovers in the last three halves. We have to get our house in order and we’ll be excited to play.
HOW IS JT DOING AND WILL HE START
He is okay and we will release all that on Thursday.
ON MATTHEW AMOUNT OF CARRIES
He needs to pitch it some and he wouldn’t have to carry it so much.
ON UGA BEING THE BOWL GAME
No, we don’t have one. A lot of fans say it doesn’t matter what the record is, you are successful and we will see how that is.
ON THE OL PRODUCTION IN AUGUST COULD YOU SEE IT
I knew we had issues after the first two games, we weren’t getting guys cutoff and sealed off and I knew as the competition got better, that is one of our problems. We’ve struggled to stop people, the tracks of the B-back and A-back haven’t been correct either, it is like a dyke and we are sticking fingers in. Everyone anointed that group behind those SR B-backs, but they haven’t played as well as they did last year, the OL.
ON THE SEASON
Every game we have been in and we have self-imploded, maybe this is my turn, I’ve been doing this a long time. Saturday we are moving the ball without Justin and we turn a guy loose on the goal line and don’t follow the fullback and they go 98 yards, compound errors. We get a couple of 1st downs next series, Skov gets a 1st down and no forward progress rule and they ball is ripped out, it becomes 21-7 instead of us up 14-7 or whatever. UNC we had a chance to win that game, Pitt we had every chance, we can’t get the two sides together or make a play. UNC make a stop on the goal line, we hold them and then we fumble. Pitt we are coming off our goal line get a penalty, every team set a school record for FG against me. Offense, defense and special teams, Saturday it was 21-7 at the half except, we don’t run real hard and don’t cut off the backside, all you do is punt the ball and we punt it 15 yards. Guy makes a school record FG. We snap the ball over the punters head twice at Duke, guy didn’t do it once last year. I’m frustrated and so are the players. Hopefully we play well on Saturday, we just have to flush it.
ON LYNN GRIFFIN AT A-BACK
I think he is getting better and it was good to see him do something with the ball. The more experience he plays there he will be good. I wanted to move him in the fall and he wasn’t sure then. We are playing a lot of freshmen, that position we thought Nathan Cottrell was the best guy we had after one week, JJ Green comes back, Qua Searcy comes back those guys might not even play who are playing now. We had 7 freshmen in the game on offense last week, they’ve played hard but they are young.
CAN YOU FLUSH IT
Probably not, but I try, it is like I said, I don’t know anybody who can. I can flush the wins, but the losses stay with you and I have a better memory of those, but you have to flush them or it eats you up. I don’t have to worry about it, I’m not a good loser and everyone around me can tell you that and the team can too. You have to try and fix it and move on. When you are winning the path of the B-back or the cutoff, but when you lose it is magnified and it is a harsh reality of how you have to stay on the little things. The goal line play is so frustrating with me, I walked through that personally with them for 10 minutes on Thursday and then they don’t do it right, it is mind boggling and that is why you play the games.
STAFF CHANGES, OL IN PARTICULAR
We will sit down and talk about it, it is the same coaches that won 11 games and the OB, everyone is accountable and accountable for their position, but I’ll sit down and think about it and what we have to do to get it right.
ON BEATING UGA THIS SEASON IS ALRIGHT
No this season has been miserable for everyone involved, from players to coaches. There is no fun losing.
ON MAKING ADJUSTMENTS NOT WORKING DOES IT SHAKE YOUR CONFIDENCE
You hope not, you think not, but it is frustrating. Most of the things we’ve seen are not new, everyone has played us the same as last year for the most part. What is frustrating is not getting it fixed. The last two games, VaTech and Miami, it’s not like there are a bunch of 3 and outs, VaTech three times we fumble on first down, that is three series that are gone, you give 3 of your 10 away and yards and points won’t be the same. That is why I get a kick out of yards and points, points are the bottom line, but if you evaluated things is points by possession to get a good look. If team has 19 possessions should score more than 11, but it is relative and apples to oranges. The last two games if we don’t turn it over we win them, I truly believe that, that is self-inflicted. The one pitch to Snoddy against VaTech, the LB guy got out there bang-bang, the others were, fumble on a zone give or let it pull it out of your hands that is self-inflicted.
ON GSU VERSUS UGA HELPING THEM
Really they have played three because AU is an option team too, they played them great. UGA has two NFL guys Floyd is a 1st round guy, Jenkins is playing well and big guys inside. They play well defensively and we’ve played each other, they played three fronts against us and three against everyone, you can’t reinvent the wheel in three days, they may try something to take advantage of us. If you go back and look at us, 10 teams have lined up the same way against us.
ON JORDAN GETTING MORE ONES TIME
He plays with them all the time, we rotate huddles and we run two groups and the twos gets as much as the other, we repeat the same plays and the ones aren’t there for 45 minutes with the two getting nothing, both get more. If JT isn’t out there he will get with the ones, they both run with the ones, Chase gets the twos reps and Jordan gets the ones at times anyways. Everyone runs two huddles and we run it there, we run 45 reps in a 20-minute option period it is split, the mesh is different, but during fundamentals they may work with one more than others.
ON JORDAN AS A QB
He has played in one game and that will be determined he is a tough kid and a good runner and throws it well. He needs to make better decisions on when to keep or pitch and when to throw or not. The first time he ran the option to the left, that is a good indication that he won’t turn that ball loose for a while. The play before the interception and we could back with play-action and he pulls it down and yell it him to turn it loose and the next time he turns it loose, you have to be careful what you tell young guys.
ON THANKSGIVING WILL THE MARSHALL BROTHERS COME TO HIS HOUSE
Keith hasn’t played much for them has he, there is lunch here for the teams and families and coaches wives bring deserts. All the coaches open up their homes and anyone who doesn’t have a place can go. Guys will go with other players, because they have family nearby, once in a while guys will come over.
ON MARSHALL ON THE B-BACK PITCH
He did a good job on the speed option stuff and have to get in the end zone and he needs a block or two. He is good with the ball in his hands, he has to do other things than just the ball in his hands. Driving home Saturday night, my wife said he was playing in HS at this time last year and it is different for him. Brad Stewart is hurt a little and we are at the freshmen wall physically and school and exams coming together and they are not used to the wear and tear. We played all these teams are better than Metter HS who you played last year and there is a transition, you don’t accept it, but there is a transition and you have to understand that three years from now it will be different. The reverse pass it is raining the ball is wet and he has a guy 20 yards beat and next time he plants his feet and wings it.
ON REMEMBERING THE BAD STUFF THE CLEMSON GAME ONE GUY TAKING THE PITCH AND THE QB
We didn’t seal a guy and the QB was shield they stretched it out because no one has got cutoff. No one has done anything different, been doing this since 1985 and we’ve seen everything we can see. I would be the first to tell you we can’t play against it, that isn’t the case. They all play the same way, some with better players. Clemson we didn’t play well and they physically kicked us inside and they played the b-back with 4 guys and scrapped a guy. The base of the stuff if they can play your inside guy with fo
HOW IS JT DOING AND WILL HE START
He is okay and we will release all that on Thursday.
ON MATTHEW AMOUNT OF CARRIES
He needs to pitch it some and he wouldn’t have to carry it so much.
ON UGA BEING THE BOWL GAME
No, we don’t have one. A lot of fans say it doesn’t matter what the record is, you are successful and we will see how that is.
ON THE OL PRODUCTION IN AUGUST COULD YOU SEE IT
I knew we had issues after the first two games, we weren’t getting guys cutoff and sealed off and I knew as the competition got better, that is one of our problems. We’ve struggled to stop people, the tracks of the B-back and A-back haven’t been correct either, it is like a dyke and we are sticking fingers in. Everyone anointed that group behind those SR B-backs, but they haven’t played as well as they did last year, the OL.
ON THE SEASON
Every game we have been in and we have self-imploded, maybe this is my turn, I’ve been doing this a long time. Saturday we are moving the ball without Justin and we turn a guy loose on the goal line and don’t follow the fullback and they go 98 yards, compound errors. We get a couple of 1st downs next series, Skov gets a 1st down and no forward progress rule and they ball is ripped out, it becomes 21-7 instead of us up 14-7 or whatever. UNC we had a chance to win that game, Pitt we had every chance, we can’t get the two sides together or make a play. UNC make a stop on the goal line, we hold them and then we fumble. Pitt we are coming off our goal line get a penalty, every team set a school record for FG against me. Offense, defense and special teams, Saturday it was 21-7 at the half except, we don’t run real hard and don’t cut off the backside, all you do is punt the ball and we punt it 15 yards. Guy makes a school record FG. We snap the ball over the punters head twice at Duke, guy didn’t do it once last year. I’m frustrated and so are the players. Hopefully we play well on Saturday, we just have to flush it.
ON LYNN GRIFFIN AT A-BACK
I think he is getting better and it was good to see him do something with the ball. The more experience he plays there he will be good. I wanted to move him in the fall and he wasn’t sure then. We are playing a lot of freshmen, that position we thought Nathan Cottrell was the best guy we had after one week, JJ Green comes back, Qua Searcy comes back those guys might not even play who are playing now. We had 7 freshmen in the game on offense last week, they’ve played hard but they are young.
CAN YOU FLUSH IT
Probably not, but I try, it is like I said, I don’t know anybody who can. I can flush the wins, but the losses stay with you and I have a better memory of those, but you have to flush them or it eats you up. I don’t have to worry about it, I’m not a good loser and everyone around me can tell you that and the team can too. You have to try and fix it and move on. When you are winning the path of the B-back or the cutoff, but when you lose it is magnified and it is a harsh reality of how you have to stay on the little things. The goal line play is so frustrating with me, I walked through that personally with them for 10 minutes on Thursday and then they don’t do it right, it is mind boggling and that is why you play the games.
STAFF CHANGES, OL IN PARTICULAR
We will sit down and talk about it, it is the same coaches that won 11 games and the OB, everyone is accountable and accountable for their position, but I’ll sit down and think about it and what we have to do to get it right.
ON BEATING UGA THIS SEASON IS ALRIGHT
No this season has been miserable for everyone involved, from players to coaches. There is no fun losing.
ON MAKING ADJUSTMENTS NOT WORKING DOES IT SHAKE YOUR CONFIDENCE
You hope not, you think not, but it is frustrating. Most of the things we’ve seen are not new, everyone has played us the same as last year for the most part. What is frustrating is not getting it fixed. The last two games, VaTech and Miami, it’s not like there are a bunch of 3 and outs, VaTech three times we fumble on first down, that is three series that are gone, you give 3 of your 10 away and yards and points won’t be the same. That is why I get a kick out of yards and points, points are the bottom line, but if you evaluated things is points by possession to get a good look. If team has 19 possessions should score more than 11, but it is relative and apples to oranges. The last two games if we don’t turn it over we win them, I truly believe that, that is self-inflicted. The one pitch to Snoddy against VaTech, the LB guy got out there bang-bang, the others were, fumble on a zone give or let it pull it out of your hands that is self-inflicted.
ON GSU VERSUS UGA HELPING THEM
Really they have played three because AU is an option team too, they played them great. UGA has two NFL guys Floyd is a 1st round guy, Jenkins is playing well and big guys inside. They play well defensively and we’ve played each other, they played three fronts against us and three against everyone, you can’t reinvent the wheel in three days, they may try something to take advantage of us. If you go back and look at us, 10 teams have lined up the same way against us.
ON JORDAN GETTING MORE ONES TIME
He plays with them all the time, we rotate huddles and we run two groups and the twos gets as much as the other, we repeat the same plays and the ones aren’t there for 45 minutes with the two getting nothing, both get more. If JT isn’t out there he will get with the ones, they both run with the ones, Chase gets the twos reps and Jordan gets the ones at times anyways. Everyone runs two huddles and we run it there, we run 45 reps in a 20-minute option period it is split, the mesh is different, but during fundamentals they may work with one more than others.
ON JORDAN AS A QB
He has played in one game and that will be determined he is a tough kid and a good runner and throws it well. He needs to make better decisions on when to keep or pitch and when to throw or not. The first time he ran the option to the left, that is a good indication that he won’t turn that ball loose for a while. The play before the interception and we could back with play-action and he pulls it down and yell it him to turn it loose and the next time he turns it loose, you have to be careful what you tell young guys.
ON THANKSGIVING WILL THE MARSHALL BROTHERS COME TO HIS HOUSE
Keith hasn’t played much for them has he, there is lunch here for the teams and families and coaches wives bring deserts. All the coaches open up their homes and anyone who doesn’t have a place can go. Guys will go with other players, because they have family nearby, once in a while guys will come over.
ON MARSHALL ON THE B-BACK PITCH
He did a good job on the speed option stuff and have to get in the end zone and he needs a block or two. He is good with the ball in his hands, he has to do other things than just the ball in his hands. Driving home Saturday night, my wife said he was playing in HS at this time last year and it is different for him. Brad Stewart is hurt a little and we are at the freshmen wall physically and school and exams coming together and they are not used to the wear and tear. We played all these teams are better than Metter HS who you played last year and there is a transition, you don’t accept it, but there is a transition and you have to understand that three years from now it will be different. The reverse pass it is raining the ball is wet and he has a guy 20 yards beat and next time he plants his feet and wings it.
ON REMEMBERING THE BAD STUFF THE CLEMSON GAME ONE GUY TAKING THE PITCH AND THE QB
We didn’t seal a guy and the QB was shield they stretched it out because no one has got cutoff. No one has done anything different, been doing this since 1985 and we’ve seen everything we can see. I would be the first to tell you we can’t play against it, that isn’t the case. They all play the same way, some with better players. Clemson we didn’t play well and they physically kicked us inside and they played the b-back with 4 guys and scrapped a guy. The base of the stuff if they can play your inside guy with fo
