aubiefifty 18,398 Posted November 12, 2017 Share Posted November 12, 2017 What Kirby Smart, Georgia players said after losing to Auburn Updated Nov 11, 10:47 PM; Posted Nov 11, 10:49 PM 303 shares By Tom Green tgreen@al.com No. 10 Auburn imposed its will on No. 1 Georgia with a 40-17 win that sent the Bulldogs to their first loss of the season. Below is transcript of what Georgia head coach Kirby Smart, running backs Nick Chubb and Sony Michel, and wide receiver Javon Wims said after the game. Kirby Smart, Georgia coach Opening Statement... "First off, give a lot of credit to Auburn and Gus' staff. They did a tremendous job. They were more physical than us on both sides of the line of scrimmage. Every SEC game that I have ever been a part of, if you lose the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball, you don't have a great chance of a good outcome. I thought it was a momentum game. We certainly lost the momentum there with some really uncharacteristic penalties. Throw that in with the fact that they were more physical than us, they controlled the line of scrimmage, were able to run it at will, and they stopped our run. So you shake their hand, tell them they did a good job, and we have to pick it up and go get better. Kentucky is not going to feel sorry for us. So humility is always a week away. This team will answer and respond the right way because we have some good leaders in that room, and they want to improve upon what they just showed." On the change of success offensively after the good first drive... "We had a big conversion on that drive, and that's what you need on these guys. You have to get extra downs. They are hard to run the ball on. They were hard to run the ball on that drive because that's what brought up the third down. I thought we executed well there, and then after that we didn't execute well. We struggled to get off of press-man. They do a good job of getting their hands on you, and they just whooped us up front. The bottom line is we couldn't move them." On if he was surprised that they struggled on the things he preaches every week... "Yes. The out of bounds penalty, the halo penalty and the 'jumping over the ship' penalty were uncharacteristic. We never do that. We never 'jump over the ship.' I talked to them about that. That's what's disappointing because it was out of character, and in a hostile environment I resorted to things I don't normally do. That's the disappointing part, but that's not what won or lost the game. It was the line of scrimmage and their physicality, but what made it so lop-sided were the undisciplined penalties." On if the team can learn something from this... "I certainly think so. You learn from every experience, positive or negative, and we are going to learn from this one. We have to play our brand of football. We have to execute. We have to be disciplined. We don't have to play perfect, but we have to play smart. Riley [Ridley]'s play over the middle, that changes the momentum of the game, and we didn't make the plays. At the end of the day, you give Auburn credit. They did a great job, and they were more physical than us. That's the bottom line." ADVERTISING On the change of momentum after the muffed punt by Mecole Hardman... "It's tough on Mecole [Hardman]. He catches hundreds and hundreds of those punts, and he knows that he wanted to run up and get under it and didn't get his arms tucked. Mecole is a really good player. He's is going to make a lot of plays around here, and he's starting to develop and gain confidence with what you saw today. You saw some of the return game that he is capable of. He wishes he had it back, but that's part of football. Mecole is going to have things that happen to him in life that are going to be a lot tougher than that." On his decision to run the ball at the end of the first half instead of throwing... "It was not a good decision there - probably a mistake. If we had it to do over again, we would've definitely thrown the ball. The thinking was that we didn't want to get knocked out of field goal range, but we should have thrown the ball, no doubt." On why the undisciplined mistakes came in this game specifically... "I can't put a finger on it. Honestly, we preach it hard. It's part of our program. It's part of what we do every day - making sure every kid understands the discipline you have to play with. When you lose that discipline you get what you had here tonight, and that's undisciplined, foolish penalties. When you play a good team you can't get away with that. You can't give them an extra drive. It exposes you when you have undisciplined penalties because you're playing longer, you're getting less chances to run the ball and wear them down. We didn't tackle really well tonight either." On Jake Fromm dealing with Auburn's pass rush... "I thought [Jake Fromm] made some good decisions. Jake is a battler. If he showed anything tonight it was that he can move in the pocket. They have some good rushers. That front is a really good front. We showed the ability at the end to still be able to move the ball and throw it when they had the good rushers still in. At the end of the day, I thought Jake played well. He played hard and made good decisions." On a possible discussion on passing the ball more often... "There's always a discussion about that. Part of it is because there were some sacks involved in there, too. But there's a discussion every drive. With Auburn, if you throw it every play, you will get in trouble because they have really good pass rushers. The threat of running the ball has to slow down the pass rushers, and we tried to maintain that threat. I just don't think we did a good job." On what was uncharacteristic of Georgia's defensive play... "First characteristic is that they have good players. They have a great back who is very patient behind the line of scrimmage. We talked about it the whole week. (Kerryon Johnson) waits and then he bursts. He is a great running back, and he totally bellowed our defense. I have a lot of respect for his toughness and the offensive line's toughness. We didn't keep our edges well. He bounced out and made some plays. They are hard to defend. With all that said, we did not play that well defensively. We did not get off the field with the punt. We just gave them a lot of things. They punched us in the mouth, and we did not respond to it. We did not stop the run like we are capable of." On what was happening with the offensive line tonight... "They were more physical than us, on both sides. They played more physical than us in both ways. I always say in coaching 'it's not as bad as it seems, and it's never as good as it seems.' We will watch the tape and there will be some plays that we missed, as well as some opportunities that we missed. At the end of the day, you have to credit Auburn. They came out and played more physical than we did tonight." On Riley's missed catch... "I don't even think it matters. We didn't catch it. I'm not looking to blame anybody. I actually think it was an opportunity missed, and it was one of several opportunities that we missed. We have to give Auburn credit. They have good players. They played really physical football, and they dominated us." On how the defense handled Auburn's fast offense... "At times, we were able to give them a couple of negative plays on fast-pace plays. They do a great job at trying to create chaos. We have to do a better job as coaches to help our guys to get lined up and be able to keep responding to the fast pace. That's always a challenge. It's not my first time playing them that we had to worry about tempo. We know what comes with it, and we have to do a better job preparing for it to give our guys a chance." On the team talk he gave the players after their first loss... "The season is not built in one game. This team will be defined by how they respond, not by how they did tonight. We have a lot of leaders in that room that need to go play a really good Kentucky team next week. Our whole deal is how you respond to some adversity. Things did not go your way, but how are you going to respond? That is all across college football, and you have to respond the right way." On the involvement he has with leaders... "I'm very involved. It's tough emotionally. It's tough when you are out there in that environment and things are not going well. You don't respond with undisciplined things. That's not indicative of who you are and not Georgia's brand of football. You can't do that against a good team and give them 100 yards of penalties." On how important it is to stay positive after a tough loss... "I'm the one in charge. I'm the one responsible of what we just did out there. I'm not running away from that. We didn't play the way we are capable of, and our kids understand and respect that. Now we have to respond. That's why we do all the stuff we do. This is just an opportunity for our leaders to come forth, including me." On getting back on track after a loss... "It's a wake-up call for some of those guys. Auburn had a better game plan and they beat us physically. Our job is to respond the right way and move on now to Kentucky. You don't want Auburn to beat you twice. You go get ready to play Kentucky." On if he sensed the outcome of the game during practice... "We had good practices. It wasn't a matter of that. It was a matter of them playing more physical, executing better and being more disciplined." Nick Chubb, running back On how to deal with the emotions of this loss... "We need to bottle up our emotions. It's good to get that first practice after the game in and get the bad taste out of our mouth. We will continue to get better at practice." On if they can use this for motivation... "Definitely. We need to keep everyone's heads up and keep the guys going. We need to keep practicing hard." On Auburn's defensive line... "It is hard to tell right now what went wrong. Those guys just came out and played hard." On where Georgia goes from here... "We need to just continue to get better. We need to refocus and keep practicing hard." On why it was tough to run against Auburn... "They play hard, fast and physical. They did a lot of great things against us." Sony Michel, running back On getting down early... "It brought us another perspective. At the end of the day, it shows our players to just keep fighting." On his personal foul and discipline issues... "Discipline is something that we have to focus on. We just had some undisciplined penalties, including myself, and that can't happen. We have to take full responsibility. Passion gets mixed in with emotions and sometimes you make bad decisions. You have to eliminate those to win games." On Auburn's defense taking the run away... "They were more physical up front. Our goal is to come out and be more physical, and we didn't do that today. We need to go back and fix that and move on." On possibly playing Auburn again in the SEC Championship... "Whatever is destined to happen is going to happen. We are just going to focus on our next opponent. We aren't going to overlook any opponent. We played a great team tonight, and we are about to play another great team next week." Javon Wims, wide receiver On Auburn... "They are a good football team, and we just have to stick to getting better." On Georgia's early success in the passing game... "The opportunities were there. We just ended up short tonight." On the Georgia offense putting too much pressure on the defense... "We have to do a better job putting us in better situations. Auburn has an unbelievable defense, but there was a lot of things we normally don't do that happened tonight. We had a solid game plan and made some solid adjustments early. Auburn was just the better team tonight." Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
looney 801 Posted November 12, 2017 Share Posted November 12, 2017 Gotta say - really classy responses by coach Smart and his players. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I_M4_AU 9,022 Posted November 12, 2017 Share Posted November 12, 2017 Great coach speak by Smart. To sum it up, if you haven’t read it, “its not the end of the world.” Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gr82be 14,995 Posted November 12, 2017 Share Posted November 12, 2017 "Humility is always a week away". That's a great line to remember for anyone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToraGirl 5,498 Posted November 12, 2017 Share Posted November 12, 2017 I'd add...regarding penalties...there were lots of "chippy" moments instigated...or at least it appeared so...by some Dawgs. I was glad the refs were on them. Smart: "P.S. The atmosphere of a stadium really does matter, boys, it really does. No doubt about it, make no mistake about it." If they "forgot" that they originally instigated "Soulja Boy", they also forgot to imagine how much defeating them mattered to Auburn. Still feels REALLY, really good on this brisk and beautiful Sunday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
auskull 242 Posted November 12, 2017 Share Posted November 12, 2017 I think the UGA coaching staff was stunned. Nowhere was there any film to game plan disclosing what was about to occur. I don't think we as AU fans ever saw or expected (rational expectations only) domination at the line of scrimmage like we exhibited Saturday. This was a humbling experience for their players and coaches. I hope for us it was the beginning of a new Gus era. Well soon know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EagleReedle 14 Posted November 12, 2017 Share Posted November 12, 2017 Also, if we do get to see Uga in Atlanta, things don't get easier playing against a Malzahn/Lindsey offense multiple times in a season... thinking about Spurrier and South Carolina right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
around4ever 4,139 Posted November 12, 2017 Share Posted November 12, 2017 Props to Kirby and the uga players interviewed. Classy responses and credited AU for outplaying them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AUIH1 1,515 Posted November 12, 2017 Share Posted November 12, 2017 21 minutes ago, around4ever said: Props to Kirby and the uga players interviewed. Classy responses and credited AU for outplaying them. Yes, everything I have read and seen from Smart and the uga players have been very complimentary of AU. wde Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AU64 10,122 Posted November 12, 2017 Share Posted November 12, 2017 3 minutes ago, AUIH1 said: Yes, everything I have read and seen from Smart and the uga players have been very complimentary of AU. wde Their fans ? not so much ? Of course those are the folks who ran off Richt....KS better keep that in mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AUIH1 1,515 Posted November 12, 2017 Share Posted November 12, 2017 3 minutes ago, AU64 said: Their fans ? not so much ? Of course those are the folks who ran off Richt....KS better keep that in mind. I don't really care about their fans. That is just how fans behave. Although, I have many friends who are uga fans who started sending congratulatory messages yesterday in the 3rd quarter. wde Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AU64 10,122 Posted November 12, 2017 Share Posted November 12, 2017 8 minutes ago, AUIH1 said: I don't really care about their fans. That is just how fans behave. Although, I have many friends who are uga fans who started sending congratulatory messages yesterday in the 3rd quarter. wde Guessing those were not the ones posting on the forum before the game began? Some trashy stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnthePlains 2,014 Posted November 12, 2017 Share Posted November 12, 2017 I feel like their anger will soon turn to a false machismo where they will start posting about wanting us to beat bama so they can get a rematch and put a beatdown on us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tiger88 934 Posted November 12, 2017 Share Posted November 12, 2017 Haven't heard kirby speak much, but he was classy after this loss. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AU64 10,122 Posted November 12, 2017 Share Posted November 12, 2017 18 minutes ago, OnthePlains said: I feel like their anger will soon turn to a false machismo where they will start posting about wanting us to beat bama so they can get a rematch and put a beatdown on us. likely so and guess I don't blame them. After a beating like that I imagine most dawgs would like another shot at AU...and expect a different outcome. JMO but the dawgs better worry some about Ga Tech and not be thinking about the SEC championship. They were exposed some yesterday and Tech likes to run the ball. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DAG 35,153 Posted November 12, 2017 Share Posted November 12, 2017 26 minutes ago, tiger88 said: Haven't heard kirby speak much, but he was classy after this loss. Kirby is a classy guy . I like him. Still, suck it UGA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnthePlains 2,014 Posted November 12, 2017 Share Posted November 12, 2017 9 minutes ago, AU64 said: likely so and guess I don't blame them. After a beating like that I imagine most dawgs would like another shot at AU...and expect a different outcome. JMO but the dawgs better worry some about Ga Tech and not be thinking about the SEC championship. They were exposed some yesterday and Tech likes to run the ball. You speak truth sir. Tech can definitely be a thorn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zeek 16,957 Posted November 12, 2017 Share Posted November 12, 2017 Good interview by Kirby. Essentially kept repeating they got out done physically. I can already hear him screaming at practice next week about it. There's certain tells in interviews, or word choice, where you can picture being at their practice the next week. He's going to be relentless in dogging them, ba dum tss, about this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shabby 2,081 Posted November 12, 2017 Share Posted November 12, 2017 Question. Do Smart and Saban still talk? Will there be a phone call between the two discussing the Iron Bowl. Curious about that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AUcivE09 582 Posted November 12, 2017 Share Posted November 12, 2017 20 minutes ago, shabby said: Question. Do Smart and Saban still talk? Will there be a phone call between the two discussing the Iron Bowl. Curious about that. you can bet on it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AUDynasty 632 Posted November 12, 2017 Share Posted November 12, 2017 A classy interview by Smart and his players. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Butthead 525 Posted November 12, 2017 Share Posted November 12, 2017 living in atlanta for 20+ years will make you hate UGA, but seems like they got a good one in kirby. he is like a little saban clone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PowerOfDixieland 3,236 Posted November 12, 2017 Share Posted November 12, 2017 2 hours ago, auskull said: ...domination at the line of scrimmage like we exhibited Saturday. This was a humbling experience for their players and coaches. I hope for us it was the beginning of a new Gus era. If you go back and look, their O line was a major concern for Georgia coming into the season. Nick Chubb can make an offensive line look better than they really are and I had hopes that our D line could slow down their run game, but never did I expect it like they did last night. On the other side of the ball, we have not seen our O line be even close to dominant throughout an entire game. There was a point early in the second half where it must have been very tempting for Gus to feed Kerryon the ball on every down (not just first down) as we were getting four and five yards on every carry. The thing that should scare Dawg fans is physical dominance cannot be overcome in three weeks. They were exposed last night like no other number one in recent memory. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClaytonAU 4,606 Posted November 12, 2017 Share Posted November 12, 2017 More like Kirby not Smart Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AURocketman 73 Posted November 12, 2017 Share Posted November 12, 2017 Kirby gained my respect. Very Classy. Not to offset negative recruiting lies which make him a scumbag. Media does not tape what he says in private to recruits nor his talking points by recruiters. Also Gus restored my support. I have been negative and supporting change Maybe with this results he will understand the necessity of offensive aggressiveness for 60 minutes based on game clock time and not actual time passage. Alabama will come in with eyes wide open. They are beatable. I felt the excitement in the air when I parked. I’ve been disappointed by tailgates in Scholarship parking. This game was like “Good Ole Days”. First game I heard loud “War Wagle” shouted in Arena parking lot 2 hours before game. Lots of Georgia fans mixing it up, but Auburn Fans showed excitement and hospitality. The team fed off it. i remember the first time BAMA came to Auburn. We beat the number 2 out of them. I really wish they wound come in #2 again. But if we turn out and create the electric environment we can beat the # 1 out of them. War Damn Eagle! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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