Quick-hitters from Peach Bowl joint press conference with Ryan Day, Kirby Smart

ATLANTA — Ohio State head coach Ryan Day and Georgia head coach Kirby Smart met with the media Friday morning one last time before the Peach Bowl College Football Playoff semifinal.

The No. 4 Buckeyes are coming off a regular season finale loss to Michigan and, for the second time in program history, are in the CFP without playing in the Big Ten Championship.

The No. 1 Bulldogs are the defending national champs and remain undefeated after beating LSU in the SEC title game.

It’s the first matchup between the two college football titans since the 1993 Citrus Bowl, and it’s the programs’ second all-time meeting.

Here’s what the coaches had to say on the eve of the New Year’s Eve showdown.

Ohio State head coach Ryan Day

• Day said it’s been a great week for his guys. They got here Christmas and have enjoyed their time here in Atlanta and are looking forward to kickoff.

• Day said that you have to win your “1-on-1” battles in a game like this.

• Day, when asked about playing with “violence,” said that playing in Mercedes-Benz Stadium and in the CFP demands that kind of play style. He noted that his players have been practicing and preparing that way.

• Day said, “I think that’s why we get into coaching,” in reference to LT Paris Johnson Jr.’s Players’ Tribune story. Day discussed Johnson’s growth and the incredible work he and his mom have done for his own foundation.

• Day said he has so much respect for what Smart and Georgia have built. “This is the exact situation we saw ourselves in (at the start of the year),” Day said in reference to playing in this CFP Peach Bowl semifinal.

• Day talked about how “powerful” Georgia’s defensive front is and how “athletic” the Bulldogs are in the second level. He emphasized that, at this stage, you’re going to get that kind of matchup in the CFP.

• Day said that the expectations are at the highest level at both Ohio State and Georgia. He said that, at Ohio State, it’s discussed in recruiting.

• Day, when asked about RB Miyan Williams — who was under the weather earlier this week — “Yeah, back to practice yesterday. He’ll be ready to go.”

• Day said that he thinks it’s very important for the Big Ten to have two teams in the CFP. He noted that, week in and week out, you have to bring it in the league. Day called it a very “physical conference.” And he stressed the importance of stamina throughout that league slate.

• Day said that Georgia leaves “no stones left unturned” on the recruiting trail.

• Day, when asked about a potential bonus for players participating in the CFP, he said he couldn’t say a number “without speaking ignorantly” but that there should be more for the players.

• Day said that the first part of bowl prep is about “good-on-good” and working on fundamentals. He compared it to preparing for the first game of the season, noting that they try not to start game planning too early. He said when they reach the bowl site, it’s treated like a normal game week.

• Day said that, at the time, it gave us “an injection of energy,” in reference to learning that they had snuck into the four-team CFP field. He said that when you have something taken away from you, after the Buckeyes thought they did after losing to Michigan, it makes you appreciate everything more.

• Day, when asked about the word “pressure” and how he can be sure his players will play loose, stated that all you can really do is play your hardest and, at the end of the game, look at the scoreboard and see where you’re at.

• Day said that they have tried to make Mercedes-Benz Stadium the Woody Hayes Athletics Center this week in preparation for the CFP.

• Day said that “the recruiting never ends, but this game is about the players.”

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart

• Smart credited Peach Bowl CEO Gary Stokan for such a great week. He talked about how convenient travel has been from events and how central everything is in Atlanta for the bowl site.

• Smart, when asked about physicality, said “it’s part of the game.” He said it starts at the line of scrimmage, but explosive plays are part of these CFP games, too. Smart explained that when you play a bowl game, you get a full look at another team, often from another conference, which gives you a good appreciation of that conference.

• Smart said that he’s excited for the opportunity for the players to play “in what’s going to be an incredible environment.”

• Smart said that Georgia has had a really good leadership within the program in the last six-to-seven years. He attributes the long-term success of the program to that leadership.

• Smart said that, every game week, the team does yoga in its Thursday practices. He said it helps for recovery.

• Smart said it wasn’t his favorite travel trip when he had to go all the way out to California to recruit C.J. Stroud, but he said it was worth it for how valuable that time was with Stroud and his family. Smart explained that Stroud is a “tremendous leader.” He called Stroud “very humble but very talented.”

• Smart, when asked to compare Stroud’s rise to Stetson Bennett IV’s, he said that both guys put their teammates first, but he noted that Stroud got to play earlier in his career and, eventually, was a high-rated recruit, whereas Bennett never made that jump in the recruiting sphere.

• Smart said “I don’t think you can put a number on that,” when asked about a potential bonus for players participating in the CFP. He mentioned that he thinks NIL is chipping away at that, but he reiterated that he can’t put a number on it without more research.

• Smart said Ohio State’s offensive talent “oozes off the tape.” He mentions that they have talented players across the board. And he pointed out that Stroud is a talented quarterback who can spread the ball around to the Buckeyes playmakers. He said that, in playing Ohio State, “you have to disrupt the quarterback.” Smart said that Stroud is too accurate not to try to disrupt him.

• Smart said that they try to “fill breaks in” during bowl prep. He mentioned that you run the risk of burning players out if you’re not cognizant of the players’ other stresses, namely academics.

• Smart said that he’s most proud of Bennett’s “persistence.” Smart pointed out that Bennett didn’t jump ship when he was third or second on the quarterback depth chart.

• Smart said that sometimes you worry, as a coach, about players and their accolades (whether it can get to their head), but he said he doesn’t worry about that with Bennett, who is a 25-year-old quarterback.

• Smart said that “elite ball skills” and “vertical speed” come to mind when thinking about the Ohio State wide receivers. He said they recruit wideouts at a high level for a reason.