What Was Said: Florida Gators this week on the Georgia Bulldogs

DawgsHQ has had you covered this week with everything that Kirby Smart, Stetson Bennett and the rest of the Georgia Bulldogs had to say about Saturday’s matchup with Florida. Today we head south down to Gainesville to check out what Billy Napier and company said this week about the game. Thanks to our friends at GatorsOnline for their help, and be sure to check out their coverage of Florida before Saturday’s showdown in Jacksonville.

Billy Napier on Georgia head coach Kirby Smart

“No, heck, I wouldn’t have been at Alabama if it wasn’t for Kirby. Our dads were high school coaches in Georgia. There was some familiarity there and certainly his influence on that with Coach Saban. He had a lot to do with me being there. I will always be thankful for that.

Kirby is a heck of a football coach, man. I think you think about what he’s done at going to good. I’m going back and evaluating kind of each year. Year seven, what was year one, two, three, four, five for him like? He’s done a fantastic job.

I told him that the first time I saw him at the SEC coach’s meeting. Had just won the national championship and it’s pretty well documented all that goes into that. So he’s done a — he is a competitor and certainly a ton of respect.”

Cont.

“Heck, wouldn’t be standing here today without him. I think that a number of people in the building that were on that staff, Burton Burns, Chris Rumph. We had a lot of people in the building that I had prior relationship with. I did not have a relationship with Coach Saban.

Kirby, we don’t know each other extensively, but because of our dads being coaches, seeing each other on the road, I mean, heck I was 29 or something like that.

So I mean, if that had been my first job in college football I would’ve been blessed and certainly benefited from it for sure.”

Napier on fellow Chatsworth, Ga. native Georgia WR Ladd McConkey

“Heck, I know his whole family. You know, his family, heck, I can remember his dad playing. Fantastic player. His sister grew up in my neighborhood. Heck, I know him really well.”

Napier on Georgia QB Stetson Bennett, who was committed to Louisiana while Napier was there

“I thought he had a really good skill set. A very, very productive player in high school. He’s a winner. And he had a chip on his shoulder I respected. I thought he would bring a lot to our team and playing quarterback. There’s a lot more that goes into it than physical traits. Stetson’s got those things. His confidence level comes as a result of a lot of hard work. He’s proven to be an effective player and I’m proud of him for it. I got to know him; I know him, I know his family, and I know where they’re from and what they’re about.”

Brenton Cox on Bennett

“It’s very important when you’re dealing with a mobile quarterback, that’s pretty much everybody we’ve been playing since Week One. Everyday has been mobile, so you have to stay in your rush lane, that’s the most important factor.”

Cox on Georgia OLB Robert Beal and others he signed to Georgia with

“We talk a lot. Well, enough, you know what I’m saying? It’s game week. We can’t act like we’re all brothers right now. But after this game we’ll probably get in better contact.”

“We’re still in group chats. I talk to guys in the NFL that played at Georgia, guys that are still there. It’s all fun and games at the end of the day. It’s still a game. It’s not real life. I still got love for those guys. But on the field, it’s going to be real.”

Cox on his transfer from Georgia

“It just didn’t work out. Me and coach Smart, we agreed [on the] mutual decision for me to leave and I came here. That’s been the best decision I made so far … I mean, it was kind of weird, but it happened. You kind of move on from it.”

Austin Barber on blocking against Georgia

“We’ve played some good defenses. This is a stellar defense but I just feel like if we get our technique right, our fundamentals right, we can run with anybody so I feel like it’s going to be us not them to see if we can run the ball or not.”

Barber on Georgia’s defensive pressures

“They have probably one of the best defenses in the SEC and they pressure. I think every team does and we just prepare like — everyone pressures and we’ve seen pressures like this before and I feel like we’re prepared pretty well.”