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Georgia coach Mark Richt talked about his team and its upcoming matchup with archrival Florida during his weekly press conference on Tuesday.
The Bulldogs (5-2) will seek their fourth win over the Gators (6-1) in the last five years on Saturday in Jacksonville, Fla. The game kicks off at 3:30 p.m. and will be shown on CBS. The winner will likely represent the East Division in the SEC Championship Game.
Richt said the main thing he tells newcomers to the Georgia-Florida game is that it’s going to be loud https://t.co/KXDMptNaHC
— Anthony Dasher (@AnthonyDasher1) October 27, 2015
Right now, beating the Gators and winning the East are the Bulldogs’ primary goals.
Richt: “We want to win the East…That’s our focus. That’s our goal.” — Marc Weiszer (@marcweiszer) October 27, 2015
This will be the 15th time that Richt has coached in the Georgia-Florida game. The Bulldogs’ head coach expects the game to be competitive, with talented players on both sides making plays.
Richt “There will be some plays they make and there will be some plays we make.”
— Anthony Dasher (@AnthonyDasher1) October 27, 2015
Florida has started the season 6-1 under new head coach Jim McElwain, after going 4-8 and 7-5 the previous two seasons.
Coach Richt says Coach McElwain “has Florida playing hard.” https://t.co/KXDMptNaHC — Anthony Dasher (@AnthonyDasher1) October 27, 2015
“The first thing you notice when you watch film (on Florida) is team speed, great athletes,” Richt said. “Watching them play (on film), they play extremely hard. They play well. They’ve made plays when they’ve had to.”
One of Georgia’s challenges will be containing Florida quarterback Treon Harris. Harris was the Gators’ quarterback when they upset the Bulldogs 38-20 last year, although he only passed for 27 yards that day.
Georgia coach Mark Richt calls Florida QB Treon Harris “a great dual threat and obviously he’s 1-0 against the Dawgs.”
— Marc Weiszer (@marcweiszer) October 27, 2015
Richt, who is in his 15th season as Georgia’s head coach, has one of the longest coaching tenures in college football. The Florida head coaching job has not been as stable. McElwain will be the fifth different Gators head coach that Richt has faced since arriving in Athens in 2001, following Steve Spurrier, Ron Zook, Urban Meyer and Will Muschamp.
Richt on facing his fifth Florida head coach: “Most of them have whooped me so I don’t know if it means a whole lot.” — Marc Weiszer (@marcweiszer) October 27, 2015
Richt conceded that his quarterbacks, particularly starter Greyson Lambert, have been inconsistent this year.
Richt on UGA QBs: “We’ve definitely had some up and down performances at that position.” Says it was the same way in preseason. — Marc Weiszer (@marcweiszer) October 27, 2015
The Georgia head coach expressed confidence in Brian Schottenheimer, his quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator.
Coach Richt said he’s got full faith and confidence in Brian Schottenheimer as his offensive coordinator
— Anthony Dasher (@AnthonyDasher1) October 27, 2015
The coach said that wide receiver Isaiah McKenzie will be ready to play Saturday, and that linebacker Jordan Jenkins is “not a slam dunk” to play, but the team is hoping he is back to full speed by the end of the week and ready for the game. He also said that defensive tackle John Atkins is not 100 percent yet, but should be by the end of the week.
Richt also admitted that running back Sony Michel played with a hip pointer against Missouri. Luckily for the Bulldogs, that injury has healed, and Michel is healthy now.
Richt basically wrapping up saying that Georgia is pretty much healthy for this game with the Gators.
— DawgPost (@Dawg_Post) October 27, 2015
On Monday, Georgia practiced in the rain. With a 45 percent chance of rain in Athens on Tuesday afternoon, the Bulldogs loaded up on buses and traveled 45 minutes to practice in dry conditions at the Atlanta Falcons’ indoor practice facility in Flowery Branch. Richt thanked the Falcons for letting his team practice there.
Although members of the media have mentioned Richt’s name in connection with the job at Miami, his alma mater, he showed no interest in the position when asked about it Tuesday.
Richt was asked about the Miami job. “I love my alma mater….But nobody has been calling, writing.. They will find the right coach.”
— Anthony Dasher (@AnthonyDasher1) October 27, 2015
