WATCH: Georgia players share after Mississippi State game

ATHENS, Ga. — It’s another week and another win for Georgia. The fifth-ranked Bulldogs beat Mississippi State on Saturday 41-31 despite a lackluster second half. UGA jumped ahead and held on to win, but it wasn’t the prettiest of performances. After the game, players addressed the outing.

DawgsHQ was on hand to hear from quarterback Carson Beck, wide receiver Arian Smith and a pair of defensive backs, Malaki Starks and Daylen Everette. Below we share with you partial transcripts of video of what they had to say on Georgia’s win.

More video coverage is available on the DawgsHQ YouTube channel including press conference footage from Kirby Smart, postgame reaction podcast & upcoming preview content for UGA-Texas!

Carson Beck | QB | No. 15

On getting to throw the ball as many times as he did tonight…

“I love it. Are you kidding me? As a quarterback, you know, that’s what you want. I mean, I think a good balanced attack is always nice as an offense when you can run the ball when you want and then pass the ball when you want as well, but the game plan kind of just determined that we were going to throw the ball a lot tonight and, you know, we ran the ball when we needed to and, I mean, we were explosive and the guys were making plays out there.”

On what happened with his second interception…

“I mean, I thought it was — I don’t know if I should say this out loud, but I thought it was a blatant pass interference, holding, whatever you want to call it. But oh well, it is what it is. First one gets tipped up in there, whatever. You keep playing, it’s going to happen when, like I said, maybe, what was it, two weeks ago? When you throw the ball almost 50 times a game, you know it’s going to happen. Things are going to happen, ball’s going to get batted in the air, guys are going to make plays on defense. I mean, we’re playing against an SEC defense, you know? Guys are going to make plays. They’re talented, athletic, so it is what it is. Just keep playing the game.” 

On Arian Smith setting a new career high in receiving yards…

“Yeah, I mean, we came in together, so it being his fifth year, I mean, you look back over the years, him making explosive plays in some big-time games. I mean, we’ve just been trying to figure out how to get the ball to him, get him to be explosive, and tonight, I mean, he had a great game. He made some big plays not only for me but obviously for our offense. So hopefully, you know, we can build on that momentum and keep that going.”

On his career night and what was working for him… 

“Yeah, I mean, they played a lot of zone coverage. I thought we had a really good plan as far as, you know, Bobo installing that throughout the week, and then, I mean, we go out there and guys are out there making plays. I mean, the touchdown catch that D-Bell had in the back of the end zone, that was crazy. I still haven’t seen it on film, but obviously I saw it in person and that was insane. And then obviously some of our wide receivers are just out there making plays. O-line, I mean, I had all day back there, so yeah. And then when you throw the ball that many times, you’re bound to have a bunch of yards, so it was a lot of fun.”

On having the confidence in the offense bailing out the defense like it had to do tonight…

“Yeah, I mean, I’m very confident. We just showed that, you know, that we’re very capable of going out there and doing that. If we’ve got to throw it, run it. If we need to go down and score that last drive, we’re going to go down and score, you know? Whether it takes two plays, five plays, 15 plays, you know. There’s been a couple drives the past two weeks where, you know, it’s been just long, gruesome drives for the defense, and I mean, we’re wearing them down, they’re getting tired, right? and I think that’s huge to be able to do, and especially at the end of the game in the fourth quarter, to shut it out and win and take a four-minute drive.”

On how much hitting explosive plays help in that regard…

“Yeah, I mean, it makes life a lot easier when you’re going out there and only running three or four plays and now you’re getting into the end zone. You’re getting big explosive plays, not just 20-plus, 16-plus. You’re getting 50-yard gains, you’re getting 60-yard gains. I mean, it makes it a lot easier on the offense.”

On his production tonight and what it says about this offense and his growth… 

“Yeah, like I said, I think we had a great plan coming into the game for what their defense was going to do against us, and then you look at it. I mean, wide receivers are out there. I mean, they’re running. I mean, Arian Smith runs a 4.3. That guy is moving. He beat guys multiple times deep. And then, I mean, we’re making contested catches, big-time plays, O-line’s giving me five, six seconds back there, whether it’s three-man, four-man rush, whether they’re blitzing. But like I said, I thought we had a really good plan, and I thought we executed really well.”

On if the offense is clicking at the right time ahead of the Texas game…

“Yeah, I mean, I think over, what is this, game six, I believe? over the past, I guess, seven weeks, because we had the bye week as well, you know, we’ve just continued to develop and get better each and every week. And I think that’s something that we’ve done so well year to year is continue to develop, continue to get better, and as that chemistry kind of meshes — as we find our groove — I think it’s definitely hitting at the right time.”

On if he knew Glen Powell was at the game filming something during halftime…

“Oh, nah, I had no clue.”

On if he had any clue… 

“Nah, nothing.”

On if he met Glen Powell…

“Uh-uh.”

On the statement made by the long fourth-quarter drive… 

“Yeah, I think obviously that’s huge. It was huge for us as an offense. Not only does it build confidence for, you know, the o-line, the running backs. Because we’re getting in there, it’s smashmouth, we’re running the ball, they know we’re running the ball. There’s a few throws there in the beginning, whether it’s like a second-and-long, third-down situation and you’ve got to throw the ball. To be able to drive down and then, obviously, punch it in on fourth down at the end of the game is huge for us, and I think gives us a lot of momentum rolling into the rest of the season.”

On if he was aware of him having a career night…

“No, I had no clue. I knew, I was feeling it. I felt really good, which is actually crazy because in warm-ups, I felt terrible. I was like, ‘Oh my gosh,’ and that’s usually how it works. It’s so weird, the same thing happened in high school. I mean, you come out there, I was like, ‘Damn, I don’t feel good,’ and then you come out there and shoot, second play of the game, you throw a pick, and it’s like, that is what it is. Let’s go, it doesn’t matter, just keep playing the game, keep going, and then I started to find the rhythm, and I thought I felt really good.

On showing more emotion and fire…

“I think, the big thing is, like, that’s not really me. That’s never going to be me. It’s fake, you know what I’m saying? But I think there is a level, if you’re rating it from one to ten, right, where you can get a plus two of that emotion, you know, and that looks different, that shows different. I think I’ve done a good job of that, of trying to be a leader, trying to be more vocal with the offense and the whole entire team, and obviously show energy when things are going well. I think I do do a good job of staying level-headed, and I think that’s really important in my position, especially when things are, you know, going bad. But I think that’s something that I’ve been working on, is trying to be more positive and show my energy and enthusiasm, show confidence in the guys around me when we do do well, and, you know, instill positive energy into them.”

On the end zone interception (second pick)…

“Oh, yeah, I mean, I thought he held him bad but, I mean, it is what it is. That’s what the read called for. They showed quarters, we have a little play. He’s coming back, his body should be in front of his, he gets, I don’t even know the term for that, but he gets sideswiped, throws him in front of his body. I mean, I’m trying to play on time, I’m reading the play, and that’s where the read called to go, and he just made a good play, I guess. It came away the way it got called.”

On how Lawson Luckie can be a helpful red zone target…

“He’s continued to progress so much over this year. You look back to last year, he didn’t have the biggest role for us, but, you know, he’s starting to progress and step into that role for us this year, especially in the red zone, you get that tight end on a linebacker, a safety, we see that as a mismatch as a quarterback and as an offense. So, he’s very intelligent, knows how to work his body, has really good body control, great athlete, good hands.

I thought he had a good night tonight, obviously, that touchdown in the back of the end zone, but as he continues to progress, I think he’ll be a big weapon for us.” 

On working on your mental… 

“Oh, absolutely. I mean, your brain is a muscle, just like anything else, just like you go bench press and build your chest, just like, I can keep going, but your brain is a muscle and you have to continually work it. I think we do a great job here at Georgia, and you’ve probably heard about these before, but we do like skull sessions throughout the offseason. 

And then me personally, I do even more on my own, because I mean, that’s just such a small part. Especially being a quarterback, I think, you know, having this together (points to head) is such a huge thing, especially in critical moments where you have to be composed and not let anybody see emotion.” 

On the final touchdown drive… 

“Yeah, I think that’s grueling for a defense. I think that’s awesome for us. I think that gives us a lot of confidence, and it’s kind of the game plan there. You know, you’re going to run it, and then maybe on third down or second and long, you’re going to throw the ball, right? Big thing is completions, keep that clock running. 

But to have a 16-play drive to end and kind of clock the game, I guess you would say it, have a four-minute drive and win that, and then be able to punch it in on fourth down. I mean, we’d like to score, you know, maybe a little earlier. You didn’t get all that. It’s a little stressful, but it’s OK.

I thought that was huge for our offense. Really proud of our offensive line. I think they really turned up. You could see the energy. You could feel the energy in the huddle, but super proud of those guys.”

On looking forward to Texas…

“Oh, yeah, absolutely. I mean, I look forward to every single game, but obviously getting to play on the road in a big environment is always fun. I mean, that’s what you play in SEC for. That’s why you come to Georgia for, is playing big-time games. You know, we’ll watch the film from tonight, get better, work out the little things that maybe we went wrong, the things that we went right, and try to pursue forward and be ready for next week.”

On throwing more to win… 

“Ah, man, I have no clue what the game plan is going to be, but whatever it entails, you know, we’re just going to try to go 1-0. So that’s the game plan each and every week.”

Malaki Starks | DB | No. 24

On a mental lapse ahead by 24 in the second half…

“I think they just executed better. Like I said, we got a hard job, they got a hard job, but at the end of the day, did you or did you not do your job, and I think we just got to come out as a unit and perform better.”

On message to fellow defensive backs…

“I think things just got to change from here on out. We’ve got to have better habits, we’ve got to practice better, we’ve got to bring energy to the game. When you play DB, you look at it, they usually have the most energy, we’ve got to have that type of energy when we come out and play, and just be able to perform better. At the end of the day, just communicate more and secure our job.”

On if the Georgia issues are isolated to today or indicative of bigger problems…

Yeah, I mean, it’s hard to say. I think you can constantly get better at it, but I think you can also constantly get worse. Every day you’re going to get better and worse, and I think we’ve just got to have better habits throughout the day and throughout the week.

On his responsibility for the first touchdown in coverage…

“I don’t even remember. I was trying to disguise it and just kind of help out. We just got to do a better job in both. My job was to stay in the middle of the field, not just kind of be there. We talked about that a lot during the weekend, running that play and pulling it and keeping it with the cornerback. I just got to slow it down in my head and execute my job like I was saying earlier.”

On Carson Beck and the offense…

“Yeah, I think when you’ve got a guy like him on offense, you’ve got guys like Dom and London and you’ve got Trevor. You’ve got those guys that can go get it. I think it’s huge. He just helps his job and helps him do a lot better.”

On KJ Bolden first interception…

“I mean, it’s just, that’s the type of player he is. The first one is always the best one, so I’m really excited for him. It’s the first of many.”

Arian Smith | WR | No. 11

On his chemistry with Carson Beck…

“Practice. We’ve been here for a while, so regardless, like when we weren’t playing, we had other people in front of us. Just practice. We’ve been practicing with each other for a long time, so I feel like the chemistry has been there. So now we’re just putting it on display.”

On Mississippi State’s fight late in the game…

“Just know that no team will just lay down. We’re going to have to earn the win. They’re not going to just lay down and give us a win or give us a touchdown. So, I feel like the defense knows that we’re going to have their back And I feel like we know that they’re going to have our back ready when we need them. “

Daylen Everette | DB | No. 6

On play of the Georgia secondary…

“I feel like we had some plays out there that we left out there, but we always got work to improve, so that’s what we’re gonna do.”

On what comes to mind as far as plays left out there…

“I mean, some of the explosive plays they gave, like these shots they made, stuff like that. We commend them because they got a good team, they got a good group of receivers. We had some class plays that we want to make up for.”

On what led to the explosives given up…

“Really just some communication, some technique stuff. Just stuff we gotta clean up.”

On if the issues are troubling considering test with Texas that’s ahead…

“I mean, we’re just gonna go in tomorrow, see who we messed up at, and then try to fix it, keep getting better.”

On KJ Bolden first interception, big third down stop…

“Oh yeah, it was big. When he made the play, we was all there jumping with him. It was a great thing to see, for sure.”

On hardest part about defending a downfield attacking offense…

“I mean, you really just gotta stay locked in. Treat it like they throwing to you every time. You gotta make sure you lock in on your technique, because one time it could be off, that’s the play that you can give up.”

On if the defense took its foot off the gas…

“I wouldn’t say we were surprised. They just made some plays that we should have stopped.”

On taking on Texas next week…

“It’s going to be a good matchup. They got a good team. We fresh off of this game, so we really just want to see what we need to fix from this game and just carry it over and just keep getting better and make sure it’s practiced as much as possible.”