WATCH: Georgia players preview matchup with Alabama (Monday)
ATHENS, Ga. — Arian Smith and Smael Mondon are no strangers to the Georgia-Alabama rivalry. Both have been part of Bulldog teams that have played the Crimson Tide before, and each has experienced the emotions of a win and a loss to Alabama.
Smith and Mondon will play a part for Georgia in this Saturday’s matchup with the Tide in Tuscaloosa. A top-5 battle, the two leaders for this year’s UGA squad shared their thoughts on the game Monday with the media.
On his assessment of the Georgia receivers after three games…
“We’re in a good place. We’ve made some plays on the perimeter, and helped our team when we needed plays. I feel like we’ve come a long way, and we’ve still got ways to improve. I’m looking forward to the future and what else is to come.”
On facing man-to-man coverage…
“I love playing against man, because it gives me that opportunity to go against just one other person. It’s who’s going to come out on top. Are we better than them? That’s a coverage that we can show that, so I’m looking forward to that.”
On the mental process of having big games like Alabama on the schedule…
“We definitely have a chip on our shoulder, because we’re a good team just like they are. People can say what they say about the game or predictions, so we just try to not let it bother us and play the game like we do any other game. Coach tells us we don’t have to do anything different to win the game that we’ve been practicing, just do what you do in practice, and take it to Saturday.”
On the challenges of facing a quarterback like Alabama’s Jalen Milroe…
“Just how explosive he is. He’s a dynamic athlete, but he’s also a good quarterback too, throwing the ball. He throws a really good deep ball and with his feet, he’s really explosive.”
On his play after coming back from injury…
“I’m feeling good. I’m getting better and better every week health wise and game play wise, so I’m feeling good.”
On the mentality of the Georgia team this week…
“With the Kentucky game, we kind of put that to bed early. On Monday, we looked at what we could have done better, what we did well, and what we could improve on. This week was really about self-scouting. Getting better ourselves, seeing what we need to work on, what we did well, and what we did poorly throughout the first few games of the season, and just going from there.”
Check out more from DawgsHQ ahead of this week’s big game! Rusty Mansell, Jake Rowe, Palmer Thombs, Jake Reuse and Jeremy Johnson break things down from all angle. Looking for more? Subscribe TODAY to DawgsHQ at 50% off of an annual membership using promo code GODAWGS during this week’s flash sale special! Don’t wait… offer ends soon!
