ATHENS — The Georgia football team continued preparations for the 2016 season opener with a two-hour practice in full pads on Wednesday.
Afterward, Georgia head coach Kirby Smart addressed the media on a variety of subjects:
• On the passing of Bill Dooley: “I want to offer my condolences to Coach (Vince) Dooley on the loss of his brother and to Derek on the loss of his uncle. We’re thinking about the Dooleys at this time.”
• On practices: “In the last 24 hours, we’ve had two practices and I would not say anybody stood out. (Tuesday), it was nice and cool and practice had an easier tempo. Today, it was hot and they were dragging. Anytime you’ve got that, it’s frustrating as a coach. You want to see leaders take over practice. They were just trying to get through the day. We can’t have that to get where we want to go. … With school starting (Thursday), we’re out of camp, and it seems way too early to be out of camp. We’ll keep pushing and get a lot out of them. … You’re never where you want to be. We’ve got a long way to go and a lot of improving to do. The kids are getting better, they’re competitive, they’re picking things up, and you’re seeing younger kids having ‘aha moments’ and gaining confidence.”
• On Saturday’s scrimmage: “The format will be based on how Thursday and Friday go. We need to decide what we need to do on offense, defense and special teams. Those are the things we need to knock out before Saturday. To what extent we’ll do things, we’re not sure yet.”
• On the quarterbacks in the scrimmage: “Each will be getting reps with each group, the same way we’ve done it in practice. We’ll see how they respond to the game day atmosphere. It’s a lot more than just stats; it’s also decision making. Saturday will be a big indicator on that position.”
• On the offensive line: “We’re trying to establish depth. The OL is always like a puzzle and you try to piece it together. ‘Does this move make the whole line better?’ Sam (Pittman, Georgia’s offensive line coach) does that as well as anybody. He instills confidence. That unit is starting to gel, and it’s important that they do so that we can move the ball.”
• On the tight ends: “They done a good job competing. We’re trying to use each one’s strengths. That’s a good unit on our team as long as they continue to get better.”
Georgia begins the 2016 season on Sat., Sept. 3, against North Carolina in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Classic in Atlanta. Kickoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
The Bulldogs' home opener is Saturday, Sept. 10, against Nicholls with kickoff slated for noon. Tickets are $50 each and can be ordered online through GeorgiaDogs.com or by calling 1-877-542-1231 between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2016/8/433185/bulldogs-continue-preseason-preparations