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Video/Transcript: Kirby Smart’s Tuesday Presser

On practice this week… 

“It has been good. They responded well. We didn’t do a lot yesterday. We tried to get legs back getting back from Knoxville. We went over some special teams things and worked on some situational stuff. We got after it really good today. We did have to go inside, but we did have a good practice. It was physical. I thought both teams tried to get better. We need to have a better day tomorrow. It wasn’t our best Tuesday, but it was a good workday. They had good energy.”  

On what Ladd McConkey and Rara Thomas have done this week… 

“Not much. Ladd is still recovering. We tried to get him back. He hasn’t been able to do much. We will find out more probably the next day. Rara hasn’t either. We have been keeping the weight and the pressure off of it. I am hoping we can get him bac kas well. We will see.” 

On advantages of coaching at his alma mater… 

“An understanding of the academic work, navigating the campus, knowing what is going on around campus. The alumni base, which is a part of fundraising. The lettermen base, in terms of the guys you played with plus the guys that played after you and in between. There is a connection there. It’s not that you can’t have it if you didn’t play there, but it certainly puts you a little bit ahead.”  

On Jordan Hall’s development… 

“He works really hard. He is one of those guys who goes down to the scout defensive line. He takes reps down there every day against our offensive line. That is just a grind. I’ve seen kids now for eight years go down there and develop. Callous, get roughed up and play hard. With Warren’s (Brinson) injury, he has been getting more snaps, and I can see the benefit of going against our offensive line like he has. We are a little thin on our defensive line, thinner than we have ever been. He has been a big part of getting better and growing up on that side of the ball.” 

On Bloody Tuesday practicing inside due to weather… 

“It is only a big deal if you make it a big deal. We would be outside today, even though we play on turf there, if we could be. We went inside because we wanted to have a good practice. We did get to practice on turf. Our turf is not exactly like their turf, but it is turf. It is probably a little more tiring on your legs to go on turf. We try to stay off of it more often than not. At the expense of not having a good, crisp practice, we go in. As far as Bloody Tuesday, it doesn’t matter. Our kids practice hard. Sometimes we have bigger collisions in there and better speeds. Temperatures and things like that are under control in there.”  

On Tate Ratledge and Warren Brinson… 

“Warren took some reps today. I thought he did a good job pushing through. Tate is much better, moving and running but didn’t take reps.” 

On the Georgia Tech offensive concepts… 

“I think we know that every game. There is nobody going out there running new plays. They are running new plays, formations, new ways to window dress it. They do a good job of that. They change it up each week the way they go about it. They look and see what gives us problems, and they will run some of those. There are similarities for sure. There are a lot of things that Buster (Faulkner) did here that he does there. There is overlap. They will have a different way to present it. It will be who can respond to that, acknowledge it, adjust to it and what they do off of it.”  

On Kendall Milton and working through injuries… 

“He has high character. His pain tolerance is high. He works really hard. He runs tough. He seeks out contact. He is a good leader and has done a great job. The last game, the thing he did so great that no one talks about was the pass pickups. I think he had four really big pickups and pressure that allowed Carson (Beck) to stand in the pocket. That is not the running back’s favorite thing to do. He did it like a stud.”  

On Dillon Bell and playing wide receiver… 

“I think the longevity of that position projects a little better. The NFL is constantly looking for guys like Dillon. They seek that. It is a value add for them that a guy can go play back and they don’t have to send money on him. He is durable. He has good bulk. That is the reason we signed him. He is over 200 pounds. He has a multi-purpose ability. Why does he want to play receiver? I think he likes receiver. That is why he wants to play it, but he is good at both.”  

On the time the staff spends on roster management and their handle on the transfer portal… 

“I don’t know anybody that’s got a good handle on it because you don’t know what the truth is. You don’t know where the truth lies. We communicate. We try to keep open lines of communication. We meet with our players periodically and we tell them there’s an open-door policy to come and talk about things. We’d rather be in the know than in the dark. Sometimes we’re in the dark and sometimes we’re in the know, but all you can do is be as transparent as you can and try to find out. You’re asking if we have a grasp of it or a handle on it, I don’t think anybody has a handle on it. I think you prepare the best you can and you try to have plan A, B, C, D, E, and you put them in motion when the time comes. 

On if he thinks Georgia versus Georgia Tech will continue to be an annual rivalry… 

“I don’t have any clue. I mean, that’s so probably above my scope. I’m just walking off the field from a Tuesday practice to prepare for Tech. I can’t even fathom a world where we wouldn’t play them. I guess it could happen, but that’s just probably out of my scope. Do I want it to happen? Absolutely not. It’s a great rivalry game. It’s great for our state. It’s great for both universities. I mean, it’s a long-standing tradition, so no, I don’t want it to happen, but I don’t know what the foreseeable future has.” 

On the play of the outside linebacker room… 

“I’ve been pleased with those guys. They’re really hard workers. It’s been tough because early in the season we didn’t get a lot of opportunities for those guys. They’ve done a good job being really physical at the point of attack. We ask them to do a lot of different things. The game against Tennessee, we were in three down front a lot, and they were dropping in space. Then they’re rushing some, and you have to be a jack of all trades to do that. We stacked them back and made them play inside backer some, so they’ve done a lot of different things. I’ve been really pleased with those guys.” 

On what he remembers about the Georgia- Georgia Tech rivalry as a player… 

“I was here five years. I was 4-1, not 3-1, but I was redshirted, so I guess you don’t count that one, but still part of the team. I don’t remember much, honestly. I just know that they were tight. They were really close, last possession of the game type games. At least the last two I was in came down to the last possession, and it seems like this rivalry was that way for a lot of the years I was around. That’s all I really remember about it.” 

On Lawson Luckie’s snap counts and how he has come along this season… 

“I mean, Oscar [Delp] and Brock [Bowers] are ahead of him, and those guys are playing pretty well if you ask me. We don’t have a 13 personnel with him. We’ve got pretty good wideouts. Do you want Dillon [Bell] on the sideline, or do you want Ladd [McConkey] or Marcus [Rosemy-Jacksaint], or who do you want to take out? But it’s about finding our best personnel. I’m very pleased with what Lawson has done. When Brock’s out, for us to go 12, Lawson’s got to go play, and he’s getting better. But when they’re both available, Lawson’s got to beat one of them out or he’s got to be better than the third wideout. We’re trying to use the strengths of our team, and he’s only a freshman. I don’t know how many of those freshman wideouts out there are playing, so the fact that he’s out there playing tells you he’s a pretty good football player.” 

On what he learned about Amarius Mims as he worked to return from injury… 

“That he knows how to work, he knows how to rehab. I mean, he was here early, stayed late for all his rehab sessions. He’s committed to that part. I think he cares about his body. He’s one of the lowest body fat guys we have on our team. For that size, it’s crazy what his body fat is, so you can tell he takes care of his body. He knows that’s important, and that was the same way with the rehab process. I knew he was committed to it.” 

On how well he knew Brent Key before he became the head coach at Georgia Tech… 

“The circles – the coaching circles. We would see each other I think, maybe, at conventions, always on the road recruiting. I was not at Bama with him, I don’t think. I think he was at Bama right after me, but we always were connected through that. We had mutual friends. A lot of the guys who came to us from UCF had been on [George] O’Leary’s staff, and so he had been with O’Leary at UCF. We had a lot of common friendships, so I’ve known him and he played around the same time I did too, so I’ve known him for a long time.” 

Video/Transcript: Chaz Chambliss, Amarius Mims, Dillon Bell and Malaki Starks Tuesday Press Conferences

His perspective on the Georgia-Georgia Tech rivalry as an in-state player. . . 

“Grump around it. Being recruited by both schools, there’s bad blood between them always. Being here for the last couple of years, I’ve learned more than what I knew before about the rivalry, historically. I think Coach Smart does a great job of showing the history between the two teams, going back to when they used to beat us, and how history has panned out. Coach Smart does a great job of emphasizing that even though it’s not as big of a hyped-up rivalry game, for us, it’s still a rivalry game in state.”  

On how the OLBs have responded to recent competitors running the ball. . . 

“First off, setting edges. Setting edges in the run game. Especially with Missouri and Ole Miss. All of these teams love to run a stretch play against us. Throughout the year, that was Missouri’s main play was stretch. When you’re going against stretch, you’ve got to get knocked back and you’ve got to set an edge, and obviously you’ve got to have pursuit from the back side.”  

On Marvin Jones, Jr.’s growth in his second year at Georgia. . . 

“I think he’s come a long way. Mentally, he’s matured greatly, over the past couple of weeks especially. He’s grown to a bigger role on our defense because he has the size, and now he has the mental capacity to understand all the concepts and what’s coming at him. He’s starting to get to the point where he can predict what’s coming before it actually comes, and I think he’s done a good job with developing.”  

On the toughest part of returning from his injury… 

“The toughest part for me mentally was just like, I don’t know, just watching everyday because usually like I’m out there practicing, out there joking with my team, having a good time, practicing, you know, learning new plays and all that stuff. But, the worst time for me is just not getting out there, not getting the reps. A lot of mental notes, you know what I’m saying, now I’m just glad to be out there. It was just an awful feeling for me just not — six games is a lot man. I tried to stay level headed during that time because, like I said, during six weeks you can easily get off track. You can easily be like ‘Ok, I’m done with this,’ you know what I’m saying, ‘I’m not going to come back the same,’ and all that good stuff, but really from the help of my teammates just staying on the course and all that good stuff. And, now I’m back, so that’s good.” 

On the block that went viral with Tate Ratledge… 

“Oh man, so I just remember it was a pass play. The coaches were talking about this week, ‘Their end guys are good. They’re fast. They jump the field.” So, I tried to tak a good vertical set, tried to get them to come under, and I had Tate’s help. So, I saw him go up under, tried to catch him with my left hand, and I caught him. And then Tate finished him that’s all.” 

On seeing Brock Bowers come back from the same injury as himself… 

“I don’t know. I just say Brock is not human. That’s all I got to say. He’s different on and off the field as y’all know. Like I said, we both had the same injury, different recovery time, but you know I’m just glad we’re both back on the field contributing, helping this team.” 

On what Kirby Smart told him postgame after Tennessee… 

“He was telling me how I did a great job and as you can see during the interview how I didn’t get many touches and how I came up big for the team. We had a great laugh about the touchdown pass as well.” 

On what he knows about the Georgia-Georgia Tech… 

“I don’t really know anything much about it since I’m from Texas. As I got here, I know that it’s a big in-state rivalry. It’s like a championship game. It’s really big here, and I’ve gotten to know that since I’ve been here for two years.” 

On if he ever envisioned being a dual-threat on offense… 

“I say that I just keep my head down and work. Whenever they need me to step up and make plays or whenever my number is called, that’s what I do. I don’t really think too much about it, but whenever they need me, I’m just here to do my job.” 

On Georgia Tech’s offense… 

“They’ve gotten so much better over the years. Everyone when they think about this game, they think it’s just Georgia versus Georgia Tech, which is not the case. They’re on the up and rising as the season comes to an end. They do things – they run the ball really well, their scheme is really good, they have a fast quarterback and they scheme around him. They’ve got a very good scheme and they’re doing well right now, so we’ve got to be ready.” 

On the offensive similarities between the Yellow Jackets and Bulldogs… 

“Yeah, there’s a lot of similarities between him [Buster Faulkner] and Coach [Todd] Monken. A lot, actually. We’ve taken that into play and we’ve been talking about it and working on it. They kind of have the same mindset when it comes to running the offense, so there’s a bunch that he takes over from here or there.” 

On the area he’s developed most as a player… 

“I would say being able to communicate. When I first got here, I wasn’t much of a talker. I was scared to say the wrong thing and scared to speak up in the game, in practice, in meetings, whatever the case may be. I don’t really have that fear anymore. I can speak up, and if I’m wrong, someone will correct me. So, just being able to communicate, trying to be on the same page as everybody and what other people are doing.” 

On what he knew about the Georgia Tech rivalry prior to enrolling at Georgia… 

“I know we had a bunch of guys – when I say guys, I mean coaches – who played here who played them. I knew it was a big thing. I knew about when they beat us here and they tore up the hedges. Coach Smart gave us a history lesson earlier this week, and I don’t know if I’m allowed to speak on that or not so I won’t. It’s nothing bad, but just a history lesson about Georgia playing Georgia Tech and just how long it goes. Stuff like that. I’ve learned a lot and just being able to take in the information, it makes the game feel like a little more.” 

WBB: UGA takes on Purdue in 2023 Baha Mar Pink Flamingo Championship title game today

Game Information

Georgia (4-1) vs. Purdue (2-2)

Wednesday, Nov. 22 || 4 p.m. || Baha Mar Convention Center || Nassau, Bahamas

TV: FloHoops.com subscription (Sam Hyman, Beth Duckenberger and Debbie Antonelli)

Listen: Kaleb Frady (Click Here)

Opening Tip

» Georgia faces Purdue in the 2023 Baha Mar Pink Flamingo Championship this Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET. The game will be televised on FloHoops.com.

» Purdue advanced to the 2023 NCAA First Round and finished 19-11 last season. Georgia’s first six opponents averaged 20.2 wins last year. 

» Wednesday’s matchup will mark the third all-time meeting between the Lady Bulldogs and the Boilermakers. The series record is tied 1-1, with the last meeting coming in the 2007 NCAA Sweet 16, where Purdue topped Georgia 78-65.

» Georgia is coming off a 73-56 win over Columbia on Monday and has won three-straight this season. Chloe Chapman tallied a career high in points (15); Javyn Nicholson totaled 17 points and seven boards, and Zoesha Smith scored in double figures for the fourth time in five games with 18 points off 8-of-11 shooting. 

» Georgia has had at least three players score in double figures in every game this season. Flournoy and Javyn Nicholson have been included in all five contributions.

» The Lady Bulldogs were the only SEC squad to not have a single player enter the transfer portal this past offseason. 

» Georgia is in its second season under the leadership of Coach ABE. ABE’s successful first year included a NCAA tournament appearance, 22 wins, and a fifth-place finish in the final SEC standings. 

»  With a 398-170 overall mark,  Coach ABE is just two wins shy of 400. Her teams have won 20 or more games in 11-straight seasons, while her 12 NCAA tournament appearances rank third among active SEC coaches, only behind Kim Mulkey (LSU) and Dawn Staley (South Carolina). 

»  All-SEC candidate Javyn Nicholson returns to lead the Lady Bulldogs. Nicholson doubled her points per game and upped her rebound average by three in her first year playing for Coach ABE. 

»  Joining six returning letterwinners and nine overall returning players is a quartet of newcomers. Transfers Asia Avinger and Taniyah Thompson were each All-Conference performers at previous schools, while Destiny Thomas led UCF with a double-double of 10.7 points and 11.0 rebounds per game last year. Miyah Verse is Georgia’s lone true freshman this season. 

» Georgia is in search of its 37th NCAA tournament appearance this season. The Lady Bulldogs’ 36 trips are tied for the second most among all programs. 

» Georgia is one of three programs nationwide, joining Wisconsin Green Bay and Tennessee, to never have a losing record in a season. 

Dawgs in the NFL – Week 11

Former Georgia Bulldogs continue to headline statistical leaderboards across the National Football League following week 11 of the regular season. Two Bulldogs rank in the top five for rushing yards this season, with the Eagles’ D’Andre Swift in third at 690 yards and the Bills’ James Cook in fourth with 688 yards. Baltimore’s Roquan Smith is also having a career year, standing in second for total tackles on the year with 118. Smith totaled 10 tackles for the Ravens on Thursday evening, extending his streak of games with at least five tackles to 34 consecutive games.

Ravens 34, Bengals 20

Trey Hill, OC – Inactive for Cincinnati due to a coach’s decision.

Ben Cleveland, OG – Served in a reserve offensive lineman role for the Ravens, playing three snaps on offense and six on special teams.

Roquan Smith, ILB – Started at linebacker for Baltimore, recording 10 total tackles in the win. Currently ranks second in the NFL in tackles with 118. His 10 tackles on Thursday night extended his streak of games with five or more tackles to 34 straight games.

Browns 13, Steelers 10

Broderick Jones, OT – Started his third consecutive game at offensive tackle for the Steelers, playing 100 percent of snaps as Pittsburgh gained 249 total yards in the loss.

George Pickens, WR – Started at wide receiver for Pittsburgh, catching four passes on six targets for 38 yards.

Darnell Washington, TE – Played 47 percent of snaps for the Steelers, catching one pass for 8 yards on his only target in the game.

Packers 23, Chargers 20

Quay Walker, ILB – Made his return from injury for Green Bay, playing 100 percent of their defensive snaps while recording seven total tackles in the win.

Devonte Wyatt, DT – Started at defensive tackle for the Packers, recording one tackle in the win.

Jamaree Salyer, OG/OT – Played all 65 offensive snaps at right guard for Los Angeles, as the Chargers offense gained 394 total yards in the loss.

Texans 21, Cardinals 16

Jonathan Ledbetter, DE – Was not active for the Cardinals during the team’s week 11 loss. 

Jaguars 34, Titans 14

Tyson Campbell, CB – Was not active for Jacksonville during the team’s week 11 win.

Travon Walker, OLB – Earned the start for the Jaguars, racking up four tackles, including half a sack for four yards and a quarterback hurry. 

Monty Rice, ILB – Posted a team-high eight tackles for Tennessee, including one for loss, in a reserve linebacker role.

Dolphins 20, Raiders 13

Zamir White, RB – Served in a reserve running back role for the Raiders, playing zero snaps on offense and 11 snaps on special teams while recording no statistics.

Christopher Smith II, S – Played zero snaps on defense for Las Vegas, but played 17 special teams snaps, recording no statistics.

John Jenkins, DT – Played 63 percent of snaps on defense for the Raiders, recording five total tackles in the loss.

Channing Tindall, ILB – Served in a reserve linebacker role for Miami, playing zero snaps.

Giants 31, Commanders 19

Lawrence Cager, TE – Played seven snaps on offense for the Giants, recording no statistics.

Azeez Ojulari, OLB – Played 49 percent of snaps for New York on Sunday, recording no statistics.

Andrew Thomas, OT – Played 100 percent of offensive snaps for the Giants as they gained 292 total yards in the win.

49ers 27, Buccaneers 14

Charlie Woerner, TE – Appeared as a backup tight end for San Francisco, recording a special teams tackle while playing in 42 total snaps – 20 on offense and 22 on special teams. 

Jake Camarda, P – Punted three times for the Buccaneers, totaling 144 yards with a long of 56 and falling inside the 20-yard line.

Bills 32, Jets 6

James Cook, RB – Played 46 percent of snaps for Buffalo, rushing 17 times for 73 yards, along with three catches for 29 yards and a touchdown. With 73 yards rushing on Sunday, Cook now ranks fourth in the NFL in rushing yards with 688, surpassing his total from his rookie season and just three yards behind former Bulldog D’Andre Swift. With 102 scrimmage yards on Sunday, that marks the fifth time this season that Cook has totaled 100+ scrimmage yards in a game. Cook has also recorded 70+ scrimmage yards in all six games at home so far this season for Buffalo.

Leonard Floyd, DE – Played 44 percent of snaps on defense for the Bills, recording four tackles, and two and a half sacks. With his sacks on Sunday, Floyd now has four multi-sack games so far this season and he ranks seventh in the NFL in the statistic with 9.5. He is the first Bills player to have multiple sacks against the Jets in both divisional games in a season since Hall of Famer Bruce Smith did so in 1990.

Rams 17, Seahawks 16

Matthew Stafford, QB – Started at quarterback for Los Angeles in his 200th career game, throwing for 190 yards on 17 completions and one touchdown. Stafford now sits at 54,342 career passing yards, the third-most passing yards by a player in his first 200 games in NFL history, trailing only Drew Brees (55,439) and Matt Ryan (54,349).

Derion Kendrick, CB – Started at cornerback for the Rams, reeling in one interception, three passes defended and three tackles during the win over Seattle.

Warren McClendon Jr., OT – Was listed as not active for Los Angeles during its week 11 win.

Kenny McIntosh, RB – Was listed as not active for the Seahawks during its week 11 loss.

Broncos 21, Vikings 20

Lewis Cine, S – Was listed as not active for Minnesota during its week 11 loss.

Eagles 21, Chiefs 17

Jalen Carter, DT – Appeared in a reserve role for the Eagles, posting three tackles while seeing action in just over half of the team’s defensive snaps. 

Jordan Davis, NT – Started at defensive tackle for Philadelphia, notching three tackles across 37 defensive plays. 

Kelee Ringo, CB – Played in 16 special teams snaps as a backup cornerback for the Eagles, recording no statistics. 

Nolan Smith, OLB – Served in a backup role as a linebacker during five special teams snaps for Philadelphia.

D’Andre Swift, RB – Started at running back for the Eagles, totaling 76 rushing yards and a touchdown on 12 carries and 31 receiving yards on three catches. Swift is in the midst of a career year during his fourth season in the NFL, breaking his personal best for single-season rushing yards (690), recording his ninth-straight game of at least 50 yards from scrimmage and his third straight road game with a touchdown. He ranks third in the league in rushing yards this season, just one yard behind Rasheem Mostert in second place.

Mecole Hardman, WR – Started at wide receiver for the Chiefs, bringing in two catches for 12 yards in 16 offensive snaps. 

Malik Herring, DE – Was listed as not active for Kansas City during its week 11 loss.

Practice Squads

49ers: Chris Conley, WR

Buccaneers: Richard Lecounte III, S

Commanders: Jake Fromm, QB

Chargers: Mark Webb, DB

Falcons: Justin Shaffer, OL

Reserve Lists (IR, PUP, NFI)

49ers: Robert Beal Jr., DE

Browns: Nick Chubb, RB

Dolphins: Isaiah Wynn, OT/OG

Eagles: Nakobe Dean, ILB 

Packers: Eric Stokes, CB

Panthers: Justin Houston, OLB

Ravens: Nick Moore, LS

Rams: Stetson Bennett, QB

Titans: Kearis Jackson, WR/PR

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