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Although it wasn’t a complete performance, Georgia is coming off of a 43-29 win over Missouri in Week 4.
This Saturday, they will host the Tennessee Volunteers, who are coming off of a 47-21 throttling they suffered at the hands of the Florida Gators.
On Wednesday, Kirby Smart joined the SEC Coaches Teleconference to preview his upcoming matchup with the Vols.
Here’s what he said:
- This is a series that results in a lot of close games… getting ready for a good Tennessee football team.
On working with Jeremy Pruitt, how different does this make this game?
- It definitely seems to happen a lot in the SEC, lots of guys bouncing around, on the same staffs. When you hire someone you want guys that have experience in the SEC, so you get guys that have worked together but I don’t think it changes the way you prepare… What happens between the lines is between the players.
On Old Dominion beating Virginia Tech, is that a good lesson for you?
- I don’t pay a lot of attention to those games, spending so much time on us and our opponent. I was aware of those situations but we try to prepare ourselves for what’s to come. Our process, we focus on that. I don’t associate them with those teams you reference. We have to play a good football game.
On UGA’s front seven against Missouri:
- Hot and cold, bout like every game. We have a few three and outs, one to start the half. We had a two-minute stop that was critical, we did not stop the run well, but you can’t single out the front seven, it takes all 11 to stop the run, not just the front seven… We continue to grow and we need to control the line of scrimmage.
On Tennessee’s RBs:
- They run with a process, run with an attitude, they run to hurt…. We didn’t tackle with purpose last week… we need to buckle up this week, this team will run us over, (Jeremy Banks) runs with an attitude.
On Monty Rice’s return:
- We still don’t know if he’ll be back yet, but he’s a key cog… He plays with toughness, he likes contact, which is important in a game like this.
Jordan Dajani covers SEC football for Saturday Down South and is a University of Tennessee graduate. He also has experience working in the NBA and with ESPN.
