"It's a statement game." LSU players look ahead to Georgia

LSU heads into this weeks game against Georgia looking to make a statement. That’s straight from the mouths of the players. The goal is to prove that last week was an anomaly. The loss to Texas A&M stings, but a win over Georgia and the SEC Championship trophy would quickly quell any remaining disappointment.

Brian Kelly held his weekly press conference on Monday afternoon, while players were available on Tuesday night after practice to speak with the media. Here are the best quotes from the trio of defensive tackle Mekhi Wingo, tight end Mason Taylor, and cornerback Mekhi Garner’s media availability,

DT Mekhi Wingo

On Georgia’s run game…

“They have some really talented backs and they’re solid up front. They have some big boys, so it’ll be a challenge for us to stop the run, but we’re up for it.”

On their redzone defense…

“Coming into the year, coach House said ‘great teams play great red zone defense’, so we know it’s bend don’t break. Teams are going to make plays and get down there and we can’t let them score.”

On what he learned from playing Georgia last year…

“They were physical up front. They do a good job of getting the tight ends involved in the pass game, both 0 and 19. They’re a big perimeter screen team. They like to make your corners tackle. That’s what I noticed playing them last year”

TE Mason Taylor

On how he improved as a blocker…

“I feel like I improved a lot. I was an average blocker in high school because in high school you want to just go get the football, but in the SEC you have to learn how to block. Coach Denbrock has done a great job teaching me how to block and how to stay in position.”

On playing with Will Campbell and Emery Jones as true freshmen starting at LSU…

“It’s been a great experience. Our head has been down focused on this season so you don’t look up and see where you’re at. Definitely after the season we’ll look back and see how fun it was…I feel pretty experienced, but there are still things I have to learn. With coach Malone and coach Denbrock, there’s still a lot to learn.

Did you have a “Welcome to the SEC” type moment?

“Yea in the Florida game, I inserted on [a run] on [Ventrell] Miller and he got under my chin. That was definitely a moment. Pretty funny [looking back].”

On Walker Howard’s development…

“He’s definitely developed a lot. The main thing is he’s gotten smarter. Coach Sloan coaching him and being around older guys has really helped him. He clearly has an arm – that came with him from high school, but he;s learned a lot about defenses.”

CB Mekhi Garner

What they learned from the A&M loss

“Definitely coming out with urgency and being physical. Definitely not missing tackles against Georgia. They make a living off of people making mistakes. We can’t afford to make many mistakes in this game.”

Did A&M’s level of play surprise y’all?

“I’d say it did. It surprised a lot of people. We came out assuming they were going to lay down and not put up a fight and they obviously did. That’s a lesson for us. Every game is a big game. We didn’t play with our traits. We didn’t apply our preparation.”

On playing Georgia’s tight ends Bowers and Washington… 

“Those two are hammer and nail, they go together. They’re two of the biggest guys you’ll see on the field. If we match their intensity or come out more physical than we can dominate.”

On what it means to play in this game from where they were to start the year…

“When I came here and looked at the team, we had some bumps in the road here and there, but I always felt we were destined for greatness. Now in the SEC Championship, let’s just go win it. Let’s go shock everybody who doubted us. You see on social media everyone had us 6-6 or 705 and we exceeded that. We just trusted what Kelly was telling us.”

On Georgia’s passing game…

“Explosive. They live off of mistakes. They do a lot of shifting and they want you to mess up in coverage so they can hit you with a bomb. We just have to be disciplined, trust what the coaches have put on our plate playcalling wise.”

On why this SEC Championship game means so much…

“It’s a statement game. We came up short last week but that doesn’t define what this team is. This team is special with all of the transfers and the players that were already here, how we combined along with Kelly in his first year. A lot of people wouldn’t have bought into coach Kelly, but when you trust the process you can see the outcome is great.”