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LSU Football -  Les Miles - (Georgia game)

        

Opening Statement…
“I have to say that finishing in Tiger Stadium, I thought the crowd was spectacular on that afternoon. When the game  finished, I could not tell that it was not Saturday night in Tiger Stadium. I can tell you that our grounds people, I know that we were only in the stadium six times, for us to go into the last weekend of the season and have a turf to play on as quality of footing and spectacular of a surface it was, my hats off to those people. They did a lot of hard work.”
 
“Arkansas certainly presented a formidable challenge. We started 14 down and our football team just frankly refuses to say that is enough and certainly played hard. We had an uncharacteristic turnover for a touchdown and frankly there was not a thought going the other way to buckle down and let’s go. That is what they did. Tyrann Mathieu’s 92-yard punt return certainly was the first spark. Then the offense got going and the defense continued to play extremely well through the course of the day. With that being said, Tyrann Mathieu is the National Player of the Week as well as the SEC Player of the Week. Kenny Hilliard is the SEC Freshman of the Week. What happens to a team when you turn to another guy and you say to him, ‘it is your opportunity. It is your turn to play and you must play to the responsibility of the position,’ frankly the team gets broader and more capable, and that is what has happened. We enjoyed that game and now on to the championship game.”
 
“This press conference is one that the last couple of years I don’t remember us having it. I can tell you that it is a press conference, and press conferences are not something that I overly enjoy you guys should now, but the reality of it is that this one that I really look forward to. The idea that we would talk about one game and the opportunity to win a championship, certainly the honors of the conference, is great. That is something this football team has earned and we will very much look forward to preparing for.”
 
“Georgia is a very talented team. They had a rough start, but continued to improve and play well. They’ve won 10 straight since their opening two losses. The Georgia Tech team, I watched that game, was a very talented team in itself. Frankly, they were no match for a very quality Georgia Team. Mark Richt has done a quality job there. He has won at least 10 games in his time there and led Georgia to 11 straight bowl games. His record there speaks for itself. Offensively they are very talented. They are averaging 34 points a game, 400 plus yards, rushing the ball and throwing the ball well. Their quarterback Aaron Murray really acts like a veteran as a redshirt sophomore. He makes great decisions. He has 25 career starts and is playing extremely well. They spread the ball around with four players receiving at least 30 catches. Their top target, tight end Orson Charles has 40 catches for 530 yards. They rush the football well. Isaiah Crowell has 832 yards and five touchdowns.  I’m not sure of his status, but we would expect that they would play with their best. He may well be there and certainly their best has been good enough. Defensively they are a very quality defense. They are allowing 17.8 points per game and 278 yards a game. Again, they have not given up big points since their second week of the season allowing only 20 points one time to Vanderbilt. They are a very talented group with a lot of quality players. Their special teams are very good. They have a wonderful kicker in Blair Walsh, an outstanding punter in Drew Butler and a very dangerous return man in Brandon Boykin.”
 
“Again, the opportunity to go back to the Georgia Dome and the opportunity to play one game for a championship is just the position we want to be in.”
 
On the SEC Championship…
“I want you to know something. There was never a thought in our minds what the next game holds. This was very specifically about this championship and this conference is where we compete year in and year out. We intend to make a great showing for our self and prepare and play well.”
 
On Michael Brockers tweeting about his knee injury…
“I have tweeted Michael Brockers and tweeted a doctor about Michael Brockers. A doctor has tweeted me back. I suspect that Michael Brockers will play well. The view of his knee by way of tweet is not as strong as kind of one on one examination. I think the one on one examination performed by our trainers once he tweeted me appeared that this would not be a serious injury. I don’t imagine there will be any issues there.”
 
On rumors affecting Jarrett Lee academically…
“Academic issues are certainly very private in my mind. Our guys go through a series of midterms, finals and papers. The overview is something that each guy has and certainly I have of the team. That is not something I am going to share. I can tell you during this time, well you guys went to college and had to fight like heck, the reality is that this time of year everybody responds and comes back. If you have a ‘C’ or a ‘B’ it is time to pick it up. There is no difference with our football team.”
 
On the running back depth…
“We are fortunate to have a very deep position there and we use them. You’ll watch Spencer Ware take the first snap and depending on how he’s doing, he will take a lot of snaps. The opportunity for us to get Michael Ford because of speed, strength and maturity is something we do virtually in that order. Kenny Hilliard is a big back with big feet and capable hands. Alfred Blue in my opinion is much more ready to play in this game will also get into that rotation. We look at it as a very strong weapon to posses the ball, to move the ball and score. The opportunity to play guys that are ready to go on the field, understand the need of their team, to give us fresh legs and more yards after contact that is our view. Any team, no matter what offense you run, must be able to run the football to control the game.”
 
On Jarvis Jones on the 3-4 defense…
“I don’t really know what challenges that gives Jarvis, I can tell you how we look at it. It is an opportunity to really go against a couple of fronts there that we are comfortable blocking. They play him many times an outside linebacker period. He is a very talented guy and very capable. There is a number of men on that defense and we will look forward to that matchup.”
 
On Urban Meyer reaching out to Greg Studrawa…
“I have visited with Coach Studrawa several times and at no specific time in relation to Urban Meyer at a Ohio State. I think Coach Studrawa that he stepped in, did a great job and certainly this a place we’d love have him stay. For me to be more specific about the details would be a little bit inappropriate. I don’t know if Urban Meyer has reached out to him or not, but I would guess that Urban would contact me if that was the case.”
 
On Jordan Jefferson…
“Well he has improved in the execution of the offense from A to Z. He throws the ball so much better. To be honest with you, we have not been in a game where we have needed to throw the ball as much as we are capable. Looking forward to that at some time because he can really throw it and we are very capable in the receiving end. He is executing our run offense and handling the functionality of the offense. He understands the motions and the cadences. He is giving us great leadership and he is tougher than many men I have been around. He is physically and mentally tough. He has given us a lot. We’ve certainly enjoyed it.”
 
On Jefferson putting his stamp on the season…
“I don’t know about his stamp. I think there is an obligation to the team that he realizes that he must fulfill in that spot. His stamp I don’t know if that is necessarily the issue. I understand that once you make a big play that there is that moment where you say that was pretty special and kind of give that thought yourself. Beyond that I think he understands that this is really about the team.”
 
On playing in the Georgia Dome…
“We started the season in a dome (Cowboy Stadium) and on the road. We’ve been in that dome in several bowl games and championship games and we’ve enjoyed being in there. I think our guys enjoy playing in domed environments and venues. This will be another opportunity for us to go back to Georgia and compete.”
 
On Jarrett Lee…
“We would have liked to get Lee into the game earlier. The issue for me is that we would like to have victory secured. That is a necessity that I have and that I ensure. We got him in as fast as we could. We would have liked to get him in maybe a series before that. I can tell you this, the contributions that he’s made thus far and that he is about to make certainly in the next two games will be very significant and has been very significant. I recognize that we would not be in the position that we are in today if it had not been how Jarrett Lee played for us as quarterback. Our football team is obligated to him and we will do everything we can to fill that obligation.”
 
On the quarterbacks behind Jefferson and Lee…
“The quarterbacks behind them such as Stephen Rivers is a six foot seven very capable thrower and a very bright young understudy. Zach Mettenberger, again in my opinion is really coming. He is a tough capable thrower, more athletic than when we first met him, he is getting stronger and leaner. That is a very good thing. Jerrard Randall is a multitalented guy that can play a number of spots. He is a very talented athletic style of quarterback that could also play wide receiver or possibly a secondary back. We need in this class a great quarterback. Frankly, there would be great opportunity considering we are graduating our top-two. There will be great opportunity at competition for a lot of playing time for a young talented quarterback. We’re looking at a number of guys there and we’re very optimistic.”
 
On Gary Danielson’s comments on CBS broadcast…
“No I do not feel that we have accomplished a national championship season yet. I appreciate the kind words that Gary Danielson spoke. Until the team has finished the season will I comment on what I see that they have accomplished or should well have accomplished. My point is that we are so looking forward to playing Georgia. This is what a team sets its sights for at the beginning of the year. We know that we’re going to play against the East. We go against a gauntlet in the West, and we take on all comers. The athletic director has a few too many pops in the beginning and schedules us against Oregon and number of guys. We find our way through six homes games and six away. The opportunity that this season gave us, we’ve taken advantage of to this point. Now it is one to a championship. It is the very next one. That is certainly our view.”
 
On Isaiah Crowell…
“He is a very talented player and back. He has speed, good size, and runs aggressively and is very capable. He looks like an older back to me.”
 
On thoughts on Urban Meyer…
“I wish him well. I agree that there are times where you pause in your career and look and see what is important to you. You make quality decisions to re-enter a profession that I am sure he loves and needs. We wish him well. We’re glad that he is back.”
 
On Mark Richt battling through adversity…
“I can’t imagine that anyone in Georgia would not revere the record that he has start however he starts. The idea that a change is always better is not necessarily the case. The idea that somebody would step into Mark Richt’s opportunity and do as well he is all speculation. Staying the course with a quality coach in my opinion is the right thing to do. So many times those people that make those changes should review that support that has been given and how he has been allowed to operate. Those things being said, I can’t imagine Mark Richt being scrutinized in a difficult manner. Coaches at least this one, reviews his team and there is an upside and a downside to each season and each game. The thing that you try to do and the responsibility that you have to all people- anyone who goes into the stadium and your staff and players- is to put your teams in as quality position as you can for victory. Period. Once you answer that you can take criticism. I promise you that. If you have thick skin, thin skin or if you are a guy that everyone’s opinion moves you in the wrong way, than you are probably in the wrong profession. You have to have an understanding of what it is you are going to do, who you are, how you are going to operate this team and what is important. Once I prioritize those things that are important, I am very comfortable however anybody wants to operate. There is a direction and it is a very comfortable one for me and hopefully for my team and coaches.”
 
On Eric Reid and Terrance Magee…
“It appears that we will have Reid ready to play. He warmed up and really had every opportunity last week. We decided to hold him. Magee probably has less of chance to play. We’ll run him today and we are very optimistic, but not necessarily as optimistic as Eric Reid.”
 
On James Hairston…
“James has done a great job in terms of developing, getting better and being a real weapon for us. It is interesting because when he showed up here he was a freshman. He is not longer a freshman. He has been through it. We turned to him early in practice and said lets see how you look. After hitting a couple of balls, he said ‘I’m not doing too well today.’ I said well we have to develop. I really give a lot of credit to Thomas McGaughey our special teams coach. He did a great job of just kind of guiding him through some of those freshman moments. Than he got his opportunity and stepped in, hits the ball as he is supposed to and continues to improve. As much as anything, we ask our guys not only to play but also to describe their play and try to give us what we would describe. He has done that. He hits the ball deep, long and puts it where we want to put it. It is wonderful to have a man that can kick it off for you and put it in the back part of the endzone. It is a great advantage.”
 
On Alfred Blue…
“We would think that Alfred Blue would be ready to roll.
 
On Jarrett Lee’s playing time…
“I think that there is a view in my mind of how the style of play needs to be played for victory. I think in this game that really spoke to me to be Jefferson. It is kind of how we as a staff decided to go really after we got into the game. I don’t think the status has changed. I think it has changed the last couple of games only in the fact of how we play. It will be reviewed yet again as we go to the Georgia Dome.”
 
On a team needing to win the conference to play in the championship…
“I am not going there. The speculation of what ifs and all of that does not do us any good. I talked to my team before we played this last game. I asked them are you looking to the opinion makers and the sports commentary. They said generally, no we’re not listening to it either. That is really the best thing. We’ve really kind of operated this season in a real fundamental way. We work like heck and prepare. We come to Saturday and do everything we can for victory. With that being said I think that is the cleanest and most correct way we have.”
 
On addressing the team on the speculation LSU does need to win to play for the title…
“Yes I go through some of these issues, only to describe it and deflect it if you will. There is a fundamental to this game that we are about to play. We won the West. That really is an accomplishment and certainly this year it is a great accomplishment. There are quality teams in the Western side. Certainly on the Eastern side, Georgia is the champion and they are a quality champion. Now we get to play for the conference honors. I promise you, there is not going to be review of what is next. That is not something that will come out of my mouth within the strength. It will all be about the very next game that we prepare for, play and how we would play.”
 
On who is playing Aaron Murray in the scout team…
“Steven Rivers certainly could well have that opportunity to step in, throw some of those balls and move his feet like Aaron Murray. I think that will be a great challenge for him to step in and make some of those plays.”



 

 

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